What are the potential pitfalls of including external scripts in PHP files?

One potential pitfall of including external scripts in PHP files is the risk of introducing security vulnerabilities if the external script is not properly validated or sanitized. To mitigate this risk, it is important to ensure that the external script comes from a trusted source and is thoroughly reviewed for any potential security flaws before including it in your PHP file.

// Example of including an external script after validating and sanitizing it
$externalScript = 'https://example.com/external-script.php';

// Validate and sanitize the external script URL
if (filter_var($externalScript, FILTER_VALIDATE_URL)) {
    include $externalScript;
} else {
    // Handle invalid external script URL
    echo 'Invalid external script URL';
}