How to rename Joomla admin

Here’s how to rename your Joomla administrator path to add another level of security (I use that word loosely) to your Joomla install. This method is known as Security through obfuscation and is no substitute for true security, but it all helps in the sea of other Joomla installs out there.

1. Create a new directory in your root directory (eg. “myadmin”)
2. Create an index.php file in your “myadmin” directory..

$admin_cookie_code="5434231426";
setcookie("JoomlaAdminSession",$admin_cookie_code,0,"/");
header("Location: /administrator/index.php");
?>

3. Add this to .htaccess of your real Joomla administrator directory

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/administrator
RewriteCond %{HTTP_COOKIE} !JoomlaAdminSession=5434231426
RewriteRule .* - [L,F]

To enter your Joomla administration page, you point your browser to “http://yoursite.com/myadmin/” The php code will set a cookie that expires at the end of the session and redirect you to your real administration page. No one will be able to load anything from the administrator directory without having gone through the “myadmin” directory first.

Choose another directory name for “myadmin” and change the cookie code “5434231426″ to something else.

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