How can using $_REQUEST variables in PHP code lead to potential errors or vulnerabilities?

Using $_REQUEST variables in PHP code can lead to potential security vulnerabilities, such as injection attacks or unexpected behavior due to the merging of GET, POST, and COOKIE data. To mitigate these risks, it is recommended to explicitly use $_GET or $_POST based on the expected data source.

// Example of using $_POST instead of $_REQUEST
$username = isset($_POST['username']) ? $_POST['username'] : '';
$password = isset($_POST['password']) ? $_POST['password'] : '';

// Process the form data securely