Security questions

[as7aab]

I am a vBulletin forum owner, running on the 3.6.5 version..

I have read in many websites about some steps that you have to do
to protect your forum from getting hacked,
below are some of the mentioned steps:

1. Change the name of the "admincp" and "modcp" folders.

2. Give a username/password protection from the websites main cpanel
to the following folders "admincp - modcp - includes - install - archive"

3.Change the prefix in the config.php file to another new number/word.
example: $config['Misc']['cookieprefix'] = 'jydh23';

4. Bann the use of the following words in the forum from the forum cpanel:
"cook cooki cookie cookies COOK COOKI COOKIE COOKIES META meta SCRIPT script"

5. Change the content of the following files " showgroups.php - memberlist.php - online.php"
with the contents of the "index.php"

6. If possible do not display your forums version in the forums footer.

7. Disabling the forums archive.

My questions are:

• Is it necessary for me to do these steps?

• Will they really protect my forum from being hacked?

• Is it possible that my forum gets hacked if i don't do them?

• Is it possible that my forum gets hacked if i do them?

• Some of the steps are clearly stupid like step 1, 4, 5, 7 while some others seem to be important like 2 and 3, what do vBulletin moderators think of them?

• what's the best way to protect my forum?

Thank you,
Nizar Selander.