What are the potential pitfalls or security risks associated with email encryption in PHP, as highlighted by recent security incidents?

One potential pitfall of email encryption in PHP is the use of outdated or insecure encryption algorithms, which can leave sensitive data vulnerable to attacks. To mitigate this risk, it is important to use strong encryption algorithms and keep them updated to ensure the security of encrypted emails.

// Example of using OpenSSL encryption with AES-256-CBC algorithm
$plaintext = "This is a secret message";
$key = openssl_random_pseudo_bytes(32);
$iv = openssl_random_pseudo_bytes(16);

$ciphertext = openssl_encrypt($plaintext, 'aes-256-cbc', $key, OPENSSL_RAW_DATA, $iv);

// Send the encrypted email using PHPMailer or other email library