How Can I Securely Implement and Optimize User Authentication in My Login Script?

Optimizing User Authentication with Password Security

When implementing a login script, it's crucial to ensure data security by employing proper password handling techniques. This article explores the placement of password_verify in your login script and provides a more efficient approach to handling login details.

1. Integrating password_verify into Your Login Script

To verify a user's password securely, password_verify should be incorporated into the login process. The updated code would look like this:

if ($row = $query->fetch()) {
    if (password_verify($_POST['password'], $row['password'])) {
        $_SESSION['email'] = $row['email'];
        $_SESSION['first_name'] = $row['first_name'];
        header("Location: ../../myaccount/myaccount.php");
    } else {
        header("Location:../../login/login.php ");
    }
}

This code compares the hashed password in the database with the plain text password entered by the user. If they match, the login is successful; otherwise, the login is denied.

2. Streamlining User Detail Handling with $results = $stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);

To efficiently retrieve and display user details on the 'My Account' page, you can leverage the fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC) method. This method fetches the next row of data and returns an associative array with column names as keys. Here's an example:

$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT email, first_name, last_name FROM user_accounts WHERE email=:email");
$stmt->bindParam(':email', $_SESSION['email']);
$stmt->execute();
$results = $stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);

$_SESSION['email'] = $results['email'];
$_SESSION['first_name'] = $results['first_name'];
$_SESSION['last_name'] = $results['last_name'];

This approach significantly simplifies the retrieval and handling of user details, eliminating the need for multiple $_SESSION['xxx'] = $row['xxx']; statements.

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