Renaming install.php for security?

I agree that this is a good step to take in hardening the site. I would not recommend interfering directly with the files from WordPress for the exact reason your describe: updates will overwrite it.

Two options I would recommend:

  • Use a hardening plug-in to help you do this
  • Add a rule to .htaccess to prevent people from accessing the file

In the wp-admin folder add this to .htaccess:


<Files install.php>
Order Allow,Deny
Deny from all
</Files>

Related Posts:

  1. Should I remove install.php and install-helper.php?
  2. Securing a multi-user permission structure
  3. Is it good security advice to install wordpress in subdirectory but link to root?
  4. wp-config.php being written by attacker
  5. SSL Error: unable to get local issuer certificate
  6. When you use ‘badidea’ or ‘thisisunsafe’ to bypass a Chrome certificate/HSTS error, does it only apply for the current site? [closed]
  7. When you use ‘badidea’ or ‘thisisunsafe’ to bypass a Chrome certificate/HSTS error, does it only apply for the current site? [closed]
  8. Why does the URL http://a/%%30%30 crash Google Chrome?
  9. When you use ‘badidea’ or ‘thisisunsafe’ to bypass a Chrome certificate/HSTS error, does it only apply for the current site?
  10. Can an attacker use inspect element harmfully?
  11. Where does Internet Explorer store saved passwords?
  12. Infected Files – what to do [closed]
  13. WordPress 4.7.1 REST API still exposing users
  14. Should I escape wordpress functions like the_title, the_excerpt, the_content
  15. Why does WordPress need my private ssh key to update?
  16. When to use esc_html and when to use sanitize_text_field?
  17. Why does WordPress have more than one salt?
  18. What is the ideal setup to address security concerns?
  19. Will there be security updates for 3.1 once 3.2 is released?
  20. WordPress it’s cleaning a custom query_var to avoid sql injections?
  21. Can someone explain the use cases of esc_html?
  22. Tips for finding SPAM links injected into the_content
  23. Close a wordpress blog – keep site as it is but prevent hacks
  24. Is WordPress vulnerable to the httpoxy?
  25. Prevent setup-config.php page from appearing when host blocks database
  26. wp.getUsersBlogs XMLRPC Brute Force Attack/Vulnerability
  27. WordPress and Security
  28. Is there a security risk giving someone temporary access to my blog’s code?
  29. Is /wp-login.php?redirect_to[] exploitable?
  30. How to properly sanitize/secure a WP Query coming from the front end
  31. brute force attack even though it is limited by IP
  32. What should I do about hacked server?
  33. How do I authenticate WP users from a chrome extension?
  34. Website is being flooded [closed]
  35. What is the most secure way to set up the MySQL user in WPMU?
  36. Is there any point setting the keys and salts in wp-config.php?
  37. Auth cookie value security risk?
  38. Where to store OAuth 2.0 client id and secret?
  39. Security – Shortcode injection attack
  40. Registration Plugin – Recaptcha integration
  41. How can I safely use $_SERVER[‘REQUEST_URI’] to avoid XSS?
  42. How to combat flooding admin-ajax.php?
  43. Dangers to allowing Access-Control-Allow-Origin: * for Feeds only?
  44. Moving away from MD5: Where to declare the custom global $wp_hasher?
  45. Would it be dangerous to send all the wp_options to javascript file?
  46. Changing Table Prefixes – once done, am I good to go going forward?
  47. Should I disable directory listing for wp-includes?
  48. Safety side of storing emoji into database
  49. Verifying that I have fully removed a WordPress hack?
  50. How can I safely hide the fact that my website runs on WordPress? [closed]
  51. How can I display nickname instead username in links
  52. My WordPress Websites are always under attack
  53. Is there value in using a wp_nonce for POST requests?
  54. Using an Encryption class in a WordPress Plugin
  55. How to hide easy access to my website temporarily?
  56. Can I Remove xmlrpc.php completely?
  57. Config file with no Keys..?
  58. How much should I worry about these messages?
  59. Security concerns with external links
  60. Uploading .webm format on WordPress results in security guidline breach and fail
  61. Any any insecure http:// URLs left in wordpress?
  62. White screen of death on admin pages after moving wp-config up two levels for security
  63. .htaccess password protection bypassed
  64. Session Cookie security questions
  65. Storing FTP details in wp-config.php
  66. Can a WordPress administrator see other users’ passwords?
  67. Why my plugins are updating automatically?
  68. Spam injected in w3 total cache page cache [closed]
  69. Privilege escalation bugs in 2.9?
  70. Content-Security-Policy blocks WordPress check boxes from being activated
  71. How to distinguish between a hack and an encoding error?
  72. Prevent editor from adding script or form
  73. How to change location of wp-config.php to folder or 2 folders up?
  74. Finding where a snippet of code is coming from
  75. wordpress admin security
  76. Remove hacked code – out of ideas! [closed]
  77. Why do people use “admin” username by default? [closed]
  78. WordPress Database Re-installed (Hacked)
  79. WordPress Security tools
  80. Robots.txt file not updating
  81. Security: Critical backend outside of wordpress
  82. Advice On How to Backup WordPress
  83. How can I stop other plugins from using my class’ sensitive methods?
  84. What are WordPress Current Security Issues in 2017?
  85. wp-config.php moved above root results in no plugin updates
  86. Password-protect feed and make it usable in major aggregators
  87. Should I change the default file and folder permissions?
  88. WordPress exploited theme is causing high io load on server
  89. How to rewrite rules for WP-security in Nginx?
  90. how to find the way they hacked my WP site
  91. How to set custom validation for WordPress Passwords?
  92. Is it a bad idea to CHMOD 777 all the files on your site?
  93. How to stop repeated hack on header.php of custom theme? [closed]
  94. is this code properly secured
  95. nginx + wordpress: Best practices for configuring it to be secure, reliable, and fast? [closed]
  96. How to get real password (before encrypt) when register a user?
  97. Move data from wp-config to another file
  98. Heartbleed: What is it and what are options to mitigate it?
  99. OpenVPN vs. IPsec – Pros and cons, what to use?
  100. How to test if my server is vulnerable to the ShellShock bug?