What are the potential security risks of using .htaccess protected folders for downloadable files in PHP?

Using .htaccess protected folders for downloadable files in PHP can pose security risks if the .htaccess file is not properly configured or if there are vulnerabilities in the PHP code that serves the files. To mitigate these risks, it is recommended to store the files outside of the web root directory and use PHP to authenticate and serve the files securely. 

<?php
// Check if user is authenticated before serving the file
if($_SESSION['authenticated']) {
    $file = '/path/to/protected/file.pdf';
    
    // Set appropriate headers for file download
    header('Content-Type: application/pdf');
    header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="file.pdf"');
    
    // Serve the file
    readfile($file);
} else {
    // Redirect to login page if user is not authenticated
    header('Location: login.php');
}
?>

Keywords

.htaccess protected folders downloadable files security risks PHP

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