What is this “.protect” folder and “.pemhtaccess” file?

Question

On my host, I've got a directory named ".protect" containing a ".pemhtaccess" file generated (by my server?) when I setup my domain. I'm running an Apache server. Any guess what it does and whether I can delete it?

I asked my hosting company what they were, and they said, "They're generated by the system."

Thanks, hosting company.

Answer 1

I'll bet ".pemhtaccess" is simply a renamed .htaccess file, and ".protect" is the htaccess user/password file.