How to fix info disclosure x powered by on Cloudflare (as CDN/proxy — applicable to any platform above)

Steps for Cloudflare (as CDN/proxy — applicable to any platform above)

1. If your store's traffic passes through Cloudflare, you can strip the X-Powered-By header using a Cloudflare Transform Rule. Go to Cloudflare Dashboard → your domain → Rules → Transform Rules → Modify Response Header.
2. Click 'Create rule', set Field = 'X-Powered-By', Operation = 'Remove', apply to all incoming requests, and save.
3. This works regardless of your underlying platform and provides a network-level safety net.

What is info disclosure x powered by?

Every time a browser (or a hacker's scanner) requests a page from your store, your web server sends back a set of invisible "response headers" alongside the visible page content. One of these, called X-Powered-By, often reveals exactly what software is running behind the scenes — for example "WP Engine", "PHP/8.1.12", or "Express". This header is not required for your site to work; it exists purely as a default that most web frameworks and hosting platforms add automatically. You can safely remove it or replace it with a meaningless placeholder.

Exposing your technology stack is a gift to attackers. When a scanner sees "WP Engine" or "PHP/8.1.2" in the X-Powered-By header, it immediately knows which known vulnerabilities to try — dramatically lowering the effort needed to compromise your store, steal customer data, or inject malware. This falls squarely under OWASP A05:2021 Security Misconfiguration, one of the most common causes of real-world breaches. Beyond security, a breach that exposes customer payment or personal data creates legal liability under GDPR, CCPA, and PCI-DSS. Removing this header takes minutes and eliminates one of the easiest reconnaissance signals you hand to bad actors for free.

See the complete Info disclosure x powered by guide for every platform and the full background.