What security measures should be implemented to protect user data in PHP-based web applications?

To protect user data in PHP-based web applications, security measures such as input validation, using prepared statements for database queries to prevent SQL injection, implementing secure session handling, and encrypting sensitive data are essential. 

// Input validation example
if (isset($_POST['username']) && isset($_POST['password'])) {
    $username = filter_var($_POST['username'], FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
    $password = filter_var($_POST['password'], FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);
    // Further validation and processing
}

// Prepared statement example
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username');
$stmt->execute(['username' => $username]);
$user = $stmt->fetch();

// Secure session handling example
session_start();
session_regenerate_id(true);

// Encryption example
$encryptedData = openssl_encrypt($data, 'AES-256-CBC', $encryptionKey, 0, $iv);
$decryptedData = openssl_decrypt($encryptedData, 'AES-256-CBC', $encryptionKey, 0, $iv);

Keywords

SQL injection Cross-site scripting (XSS) Password hashing HTTPS encryption Input validation

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