What security measures should be taken when handling user passwords in PHP login forms?

When handling user passwords in PHP login forms, it is crucial to securely store and handle the passwords to prevent unauthorized access. One common practice is to hash the passwords using a strong hashing algorithm like bcrypt before storing them in the database. Additionally, using prepared statements to prevent SQL injection attacks and enforcing password complexity requirements can also enhance the security of user passwords. 

// Hashing the password before storing it in the database
$password = $_POST['password'];
$hashed_password = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_BCRYPT);

// Storing the hashed password in the database
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("INSERT INTO users (username, password) VALUES (:username, :password)");
$stmt->bindParam(':username', $_POST['username']);
$stmt->bindParam(':password', $hashed_password);
$stmt->execute();

Keywords

password hashing password salting bcrypt password_verify SQL injection

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