How can the use of variables like $send and $_POST['send'] impact the functionality of a PHP form?

Using variables like $send and $_POST['send'] can impact the functionality of a PHP form if they are not properly sanitized or validated. This can potentially lead to security vulnerabilities such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting attacks. To solve this issue, it is important to sanitize and validate all user input before using it in your PHP code.

// Sanitize and validate the input before using it
$send = filter_input(INPUT_POST, 'send', FILTER_SANITIZE_STRING);

// Use the sanitized input in your code
if (!empty($send)) {
    // Process the form data
} else {
    // Handle the case where the input is empty
}