What potential pitfalls should be considered when executing batch files from PHP?

When executing batch files from PHP, potential pitfalls to consider include security risks, such as allowing the batch file to run arbitrary commands on the server, and potential performance issues if the batch file is resource-intensive. It is important to sanitize user input and validate the commands being executed to prevent any malicious code from being run.

$batchFile = "path/to/batchfile.bat";

// Sanitize input and validate batch file
if (strpos($batchFile, ".bat") !== false) {
    // Execute batch file
    exec($batchFile);
} else {
    echo "Invalid batch file";
}