How can PHP includes and database queries be safely executed without introducing security vulnerabilities?

To safely execute PHP includes and database queries without introducing security vulnerabilities, it is essential to use prepared statements for database queries to prevent SQL injection attacks. Additionally, sanitize user input before including it in SQL queries and use proper input validation to prevent code injection vulnerabilities in PHP includes.

// Database query using prepared statement to prevent SQL injection
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username");
$stmt->execute(['username' => $_POST['username']]);
$user = $stmt->fetch();

// Sanitize user input before including in SQL queries
$username = filter_var($_POST['username'], FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);

// Input validation to prevent code injection vulnerabilities in PHP includes
$allowed_pages = ['page1.php', 'page2.php', 'page3.php'];
$page = $_GET['page'];
if (in_array($page, $allowed_pages)) {
    include($page);
} else {
    echo "Invalid page";
}