What are the best practices for handling user sessions in PHP to prevent security vulnerabilities, such as storing passwords in plain text?

To prevent security vulnerabilities like storing passwords in plain text, it is best practice to hash the passwords before storing them in the session. This ensures that even if the session data is compromised, the passwords remain secure. 

// Start the session
session_start();

// Hash the password before storing it in the session
$password = password_hash('user_password', PASSWORD_DEFAULT);

// Store the hashed password in the session
$_SESSION['user_password'] = $password;

Keywords

session management password hashing encryption secure authentication PHP security

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