How can I block access to dot (.) files via URL?

Introduction

In some cases, you may find that dot (.) files on your server are accessible via URL like so:

domain.com/.file

Procedure

While their may be several potential ways to block access to such files, one way is to use rewrite rules in the an .htaccess file as follows:

RewriteRule (^\.|/\.) - [R=406,L]