What are the security implications of cross-origin resource sharing (CORS), and how can developers securely implement CORS in web applications?

CORS allows web applications to request resources from different origins, posing security risks like data leakage and unauthorized access. Developers can securely implement CORS by configuring the server to specify allowed origins, methods, and headers, using preflight requests for non-simple requests, and ensuring that sensitive endpoints require proper authentication and authorization. Proper CORS implementation helps mitigate these security risks while enabling necessary cross-origin interactions.