Similar action has already been taken for the 1.6 branch. Here is a list of changes made in the new version of the file:
- Line 44: RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} base64_encode[^(]*\([^)]*\) [OR]
- Line 46: RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (<|%3C)([^s]*s)+cript.*(>|%3E) [NC,OR]
This line is for block out any script that includes a <script> tag in URL, and looks a little bit different there was in 1.5.22.
- Line 53: RewriteRule .* index.php [F]
- Line 76: RewriteRule .* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}]
Changed the order of this "phrase" - Line 91: RewriteRule .* index.php [L]
This line is for block out any script that includes a

























The rule ordering change eliminates the "expensive" -f and -d "exists" checks for requests that clearly do not need them. In so doing, the page load speed is increased.
One or two other minor fixes were also included, especially optimising the "long" RegEx pattern. The new files appear in Joomla 1.5.23 onwards and Joomla 1.6.2 onwards.