How can PHP developers utilize PHP's built-in mail() function to send emails containing sensitive information securely?

To send emails containing sensitive information securely using PHP's built-in mail() function, developers should utilize encryption techniques such as SSL/TLS to protect the email contents during transmission. Additionally, sensitive information should be properly sanitized and validated before being included in the email body to prevent security vulnerabilities.

$to = 'recipient@example.com';
$subject = 'Sensitive Information';
$message = 'This email contains sensitive information.';
$headers = 'From: sender@example.com' . "\r\n";
$headers .= 'Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8' . "\r\n";
$headers .= 'Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit' . "\r\n";
$headers .= 'MIME-Version: 1.0' . "\r\n";
$headers .= 'X-Mailer: PHP/' . phpversion();

// Send the email securely using SSL/TLS
$success = mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers, '-f sender@example.com', '-Otls');
if($success) {
    echo 'Email sent successfully.';
} else {
    echo 'Failed to send email.';
}