How can websites protect themselves from hack attacks using security modules in PHP?

Websites can protect themselves from hack attacks by implementing security modules in PHP such as input validation, output encoding, and proper error handling. These modules help prevent common vulnerabilities like SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and information leakage.

// Example of input validation in PHP
$username = $_POST['username'];
if (!preg_match("/^[a-zA-Z0-9]*$/", $username)) {
    // Invalid username format
    die("Invalid username format");
}

// Example of output encoding in PHP
echo htmlspecialchars($user_input, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8');

// Example of proper error handling in PHP
try {
    // Code that may throw an exception
} catch (Exception $e) {
    // Handle the exception
    echo "An error occurred: " . $e->getMessage();
}