What are the potential pitfalls of using IP bans in PHP to block bots and unauthorized users?

Using IP bans in PHP to block bots and unauthorized users can be problematic because IP addresses can be easily spoofed or changed. This means that legitimate users could be inadvertently blocked, while malicious users could circumvent the ban by simply changing their IP address. To address this issue, a more robust solution such as implementing user authentication or using CAPTCHA verification may be more effective in preventing unauthorized access.

// Example of implementing user authentication in PHP
session_start();

if(!isset($_SESSION['authenticated']) || $_SESSION['authenticated'] !== true){
    header('Location: login.php');
    exit();
}