I assume the cPanel administration uses .htaccess to password protect the directory
First off, if you dont want it read, dont put it on the internet.
Thats basically the rule of internet security because anything is hackable
I think .htaccess is the best option, but there are flaws
like there are programs that use proxies and try tons of user/pass combinations by brute force, but yeah.
I think .htaccess is secure enough for MOST purposes
