What are the recommended security measures when handling user authentication in PHP?

When handling user authentication in PHP, it is important to implement secure practices to protect user data. Some recommended security measures include using prepared statements to prevent SQL injection, hashing passwords before storing them in the database, using HTTPS to encrypt data transmission, and implementing measures to prevent brute force attacks. 

// Example code snippet for handling user authentication in PHP with recommended security measures

// Using prepared statements to prevent SQL injection
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username AND password = :password');
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $username);
$stmt->bindParam(':password', $hashed_password);
$stmt->execute();

// Hashing passwords before storing them in the database
$password = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_DEFAULT);

// Using HTTPS to encrypt data transmission
// Make sure your server is set up with SSL/TLS certificate

// Implementing measures to prevent brute force attacks
// Limit the number of login attempts per IP address

Keywords

password hashing SQL injection cross-site scripting session management secure cookie handling

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