How can projects be protected from hackers, particularly in terms of safeguarding database login information in PHP?

To protect projects from hackers, particularly in safeguarding database login information in PHP, it is crucial to avoid hardcoding sensitive information directly into the code. Instead, utilize environment variables or configuration files that are excluded from version control. This way, even if the code is compromised, the sensitive information remains secure. 

// Example of using environment variables to store database login information
$servername = getenv('DB_HOST');
$username = getenv('DB_USER');
$password = getenv('DB_PASS');
$dbname = getenv('DB_NAME');

// Connect to the database using the retrieved credentials
$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}

Keywords

SQL injection password hashing secure coding practices encryption prepared statements

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