What are the potential risks of leaving access credentials blank in the config.php file of a PHP forum?

Leaving access credentials blank in the config.php file of a PHP forum can pose a significant security risk as it allows unauthorized users to easily access and manipulate the database. To mitigate this risk, it is crucial to ensure that all access credentials are properly defined and securely stored within the config.php file.

// Define database access credentials securely
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');
define('DB_USER', 'username');
define('DB_PASS', 'password');
define('DB_NAME', 'database_name');