What potential pitfalls should be avoided when handling form data in PHP?

One potential pitfall when handling form data in PHP is not properly sanitizing and validating user input, which can lead to security vulnerabilities such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting attacks. To avoid this, always sanitize and validate user input before using it in your application. 

// Sanitize and validate user input before using it
$name = isset($_POST['name']) ? htmlspecialchars($_POST['name']) : '';
$email = isset($_POST['email']) ? filter_var($_POST['email'], FILTER_VALIDATE_EMAIL) : '';
```

Another pitfall is not using prepared statements when interacting with a database, which can also leave your application vulnerable to SQL injection attacks. Always use prepared statements to securely handle database queries.

```php
// Use prepared statements to securely handle database queries
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('INSERT INTO users (name, email) VALUES (:name, :email)');
$stmt->bindParam(':name', $name);
$stmt->bindParam(':email', $email);
$stmt->execute();
```

Lastly, avoid storing sensitive data such as passwords in plain text in your database. Always hash passwords before storing them to enhance security.

```php
// Hash passwords before storing them in the database
$password = password_hash($_POST['password'], PASSWORD_DEFAULT);

Keywords

SQL injection cross-site scripting form validation htmlspecialchars data sanitization

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