Security and reliability of osCommerce

[DoubleDragon]

Hi,

 

i have read the installation instructions of osCommerce and still have a few questions:

 

1:

In my opinion .htaccess for the admin-directory should be protection enough...some people wrote that they renamed the folder for security reason, but I think that someone who is able to hack Htaccess is smiling wearily at such measures, right?

 

2:

What about security holes in osCommerce during the past? There are so many contributions you need until the shop is really ready for action, so i think that updates will generally cause severe stomach pain...

 

3:

Are the Contributions as safe as the shop itself, or can anyone upload a contribution? Does the community ensure that, for example, DB queries are always parsed by the security functions of the shop software, so that these contributions are as safe as the shop itself?

 

4:

Are SPAM-Bots or Script-Kiddies a serious problem? Normally the shop needs a registration before you can use the contact form or recommend a product, so i think there is only a small amount of risc.

 

5:

How can i easily make backups from the images-folder automatically? Yes, of course i can use a FTP-Programm, but i'm looking for a foolprof solution, where you don't have the risc of the wrong direction or the wrong folder.

 

Greetings,

Peter