htaccess to password protect a specific server

.htaccess

# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Password protect staging server
# Use one .htaccess file across multiple environments
# (e.g. local, dev, staging, production)
# but only password protect a specific environment.
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------

SetEnvIf Host staging.domain.com passreq
AuthType Basic
AuthName "Password Required"
AuthUserFile /full/path/to/.htpasswd
Require valid-user
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
Deny from env=passreq
Satisfy any

This is a nice little trick for basic needs, but it's not very safe as it could easily be spoofed in a few basic steps:

1. find the ip address of staging.domain.com by using ping (example result IP: 66.96.162.136)
2. add a custom hostname to the hosts file pointing to this ip address: 66.96.162.136 omgihazaccess
3. open http://omgihazaccess in the browser
   Tada, no password required!

The other way around would be a little safer (require password in all cases, except when using production domain) but could still be spoofed if the attacked pointed the production hostname to the staging server ip address.

@loekwetzels I think you're missing the vital line in there! This password protects the server, spoofing the domain name won't get around that, you'll still need to know the password.

Hopefully this is help for my staging / development sites.

@elliotlewis - Unfortunately I think that @loekwetzels is right. If you put to your hosts file a record as he describes, then SetEnvIf Host staging.domain.com returns FALSE, so env variable won't be passreq. Because my host is omgihazaccess (from @loekwetzels example).

I think @jan-vodila and @loekwetzels are right. Probably not a good solution for anything seriously important