What are the potential pitfalls of relying on SESSION variables for form data storage?

Relying on SESSION variables for form data storage can lead to security vulnerabilities such as session hijacking or session fixation. It is recommended to use a combination of server-side validation, database storage, and CSRF tokens to securely handle form data. 

// Start the session
session_start();

// Generate a CSRF token
$csrf_token = bin2hex(random_bytes(32));
$_SESSION['csrf_token'] = $csrf_token;

// Validate the CSRF token in the form submission
if(isset($_POST['csrf_token']) && $_POST['csrf_token'] === $_SESSION['csrf_token']) {
    // Process the form data
} else {
    // Handle CSRF attack
}

Keywords

SESSION variables form data data storage security vulnerabilities data loss

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