What security measures should be taken when dealing with virus-infected .htaccess files?

Virus-infected .htaccess files can compromise the security of a website by allowing unauthorized access or redirecting users to malicious sites. To address this issue, the infected .htaccess file should be removed or cleaned of any malicious code. Additionally, it is important to regularly monitor and update the website's security measures to prevent future infections.

<?php
$htaccess_file = '.htaccess';

// Check if the .htaccess file exists
if (file_exists($htaccess_file)) {
    // Read the contents of the .htaccess file
    $htaccess_content = file_get_contents($htaccess_file);
    
    // Remove any malicious code from the .htaccess file
    $cleaned_content = preg_replace('/malicious_code_pattern/', '', $htaccess_content);
    
    // Write the cleaned content back to the .htaccess file
    file_put_contents($htaccess_file, $cleaned_content);
    
    echo 'The .htaccess file has been cleaned successfully.';
} else {
    echo 'The .htaccess file does not exist.';
}
?>