What are the security implications of using symbolic links in PHP applications?

Using symbolic links in PHP applications can pose security risks as they can be exploited to access sensitive files or directories outside of the application's intended scope. To mitigate this risk, it is recommended to disable the following PHP functions: `symlink()`, `readlink()`, and `link()`. Additionally, always validate user input and sanitize file paths to prevent directory traversal attacks.

// Disable symlink, readlink, and link functions
disable_functions = symlink, readlink, link