What are the best practices for PHP forum administrators to ensure the security of user passwords and prevent unauthorized access?

To ensure the security of user passwords and prevent unauthorized access in a PHP forum, administrators should store passwords securely by using hashing algorithms like bcrypt, enforce strong password policies, and regularly update forum software to patch any security vulnerabilities. 

// Hashing and storing user password securely
$password = password_hash($_POST['password'], PASSWORD_BCRYPT);

// Verifying user password
if (password_verify($_POST['password'], $stored_hashed_password)) {
    // Password is correct
} else {
    // Password is incorrect
}

Keywords

password hashing password salting encryption SQL injection cross-site scripting session management

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