How can PHP developers prevent manipulation of form data by directly accessing session values in the processing script?

PHP developers can prevent manipulation of form data by directly accessing session values in the processing script by using server-side validation. This involves validating the form data against the session values before processing it. This way, any manipulation of the form data will be caught and prevented.

// Validate form data against session values
if ($_POST['username'] !== $_SESSION['username']) {
    // Handle error or redirect
    die('Invalid form data');
}

// Process the form data
// Your processing code here