What potential pitfalls should be considered when using shell_exec in PHP scripts for video processing?

When using `shell_exec` in PHP scripts for video processing, potential pitfalls to consider include security vulnerabilities such as command injection attacks, limited error handling capabilities, and platform-dependent behavior. To mitigate these risks, it is recommended to carefully validate and sanitize user input, use proper error handling techniques, and avoid relying solely on shell commands for critical operations. 

// Example of using escapeshellarg to sanitize user input before passing it to shell_exec

$user_input = $_POST['video_file']; // Assume this is the user-provided input

$video_file = escapeshellarg($user_input); // Sanitize the input before using it in the shell command

$output = shell_exec("ffmpeg -i $video_file output.mp4"); // Execute the shell command safely

Keywords

shell_exec PHP scripts video processing security vulnerabilities command injection

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