How can PHP developers ensure that session and cookie data are handled securely and efficiently in a web application?

To ensure that session and cookie data are handled securely and efficiently in a web application, PHP developers should use secure settings for session handling, such as setting session.cookie_secure to true to only transmit cookies over HTTPS, and use session_regenerate_id() to prevent session fixation attacks. They should also sanitize and validate all input data before storing it in session variables to prevent injection attacks.

// Set secure session cookie settings
ini_set('session.cookie_secure', 1);

// Regenerate session ID to prevent session fixation attacks
session_regenerate_id(true);

// Sanitize and validate input data before storing in session
$_SESSION['username'] = filter_var($_POST['username'], FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);