What potential pitfalls can arise when using session variables in PHP for a shopping cart feature?

One potential pitfall when using session variables in PHP for a shopping cart feature is the possibility of session hijacking or manipulation by malicious users. To mitigate this risk, it is important to validate and sanitize all user input before storing it in session variables. Additionally, you should consider implementing additional security measures such as using HTTPS and setting proper session configurations. 

// Start the session
session_start();

// Validate and sanitize user input before storing in session
if(isset($_POST['product_id']) && is_numeric($_POST['product_id'])){
    $_SESSION['cart'][] = [
        'product_id' => filter_var($_POST['product_id'], FILTER_SANITIZE_NUMBER_INT),
        'quantity' => filter_var($_POST['quantity'], FILTER_SANITIZE_NUMBER_INT)
    ];
}

// Implement additional security measures such as using HTTPS and setting proper session configurations
ini_set('session.cookie_secure', 1);
ini_set('session.cookie_httponly', 1);
session_set_cookie_params(0, '/', '', true, true);

Keywords

session variables shopping cart security vulnerabilities data integrity session hijacking

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