diff --git a/system/Config/Routes.php b/system/Config/Routes.php
index 14735e27432f..15298ce6cf2a 100644
--- a/system/Config/Routes.php
+++ b/system/Config/Routes.php
@@ -9,8 +9,6 @@
  * the LICENSE file that was distributed with this source code.
  */
 
-use CodeIgniter\Exceptions\PageNotFoundException;
-
 /*
  * System URI Routing
  *
@@ -21,11 +19,6 @@
  * already loaded up and ready for us to use.
  */
 
-// Prevent access to initController method
-$routes->add('(:any)/initController', static function () {
-    throw PageNotFoundException::forPageNotFound();
-});
-
 // Migrations
 $routes->cli('migrations/(:segment)/(:segment)', '\CodeIgniter\Commands\MigrationsCommand::$1/$2');
 $routes->cli('migrations/(:segment)', '\CodeIgniter\Commands\MigrationsCommand::$1');
diff --git a/system/Router/Router.php b/system/Router/Router.php
index fad7d45ee5f6..e655f147632e 100644
--- a/system/Router/Router.php
+++ b/system/Router/Router.php
@@ -485,6 +485,11 @@ public function autoRoute(string $uri)
             $this->method = array_shift($segments) ?: $this->method;
         }
 
+        // Prevent access to initController method
+        if (strtolower($this->method) === 'initcontroller') {
+            throw PageNotFoundException::forPageNotFound();
+        }
+
         if (! empty($segments)) {
             $this->params = $segments;
         }
diff --git a/tests/system/Router/RouterTest.php b/tests/system/Router/RouterTest.php
index af8588851ea7..3ba45ee03351 100644
--- a/tests/system/Router/RouterTest.php
+++ b/tests/system/Router/RouterTest.php
@@ -362,6 +362,16 @@ public function testAutoRouteRejectsMidDot()
         $router->autoRoute('Foo.bar');
     }
 
+    public function testAutoRouteRejectsInitController()
+    {
+        $router = new Router($this->collection, $this->request);
+        $router->setTranslateURIDashes(true);
+
+        $this->expectException(PageNotFoundException::class);
+
+        $router->autoRoute('home/initController');
+    }
+
     public function testDetectsLocales()
     {
         $router = new Router($this->collection, $this->request);