Tutorials

Top 5 WordPress security plugins

3 Min Read

Well, since you’ve come to this site, I can safely assume that you know how much popular WordPress is. This popularity attracts more users and at the same time, attackers are also targeting the platform to leverage the wide user base. But don’t panic, you can enhance the strength of your WP site by using WordPress security plugins. Let’s see some of them.

1. Sucuri Security

sucuri

Sucuri is a globally familiar name in the field of website security. The company has both online and on-site security tools. You can scan any website using Sucuri’s online site scanner by entering the URL. The Sucuri WordPress plugin comes with some great features like:

  • Auditing and recording activities related to your site security
  • Actively monitoring file integrity
  • Automated site scanning to detect malware (pro)
  • Monitor several blacklists to see whether anyone has blacklisted your site
  • Step-by-step security hardening
  • Repairing hacked sites
  • Security event notifications
  • Real time firewall to block attackers (pro)
  • Repairing SEO infections

2. Wordfence Security

wordfence

Wordfence Security is currently one of the most popular WordPress security plugin in the WordPress.org plugins repository. This plugin scores more than 1 million active installs. Wordfence has both free and premium versions. Some of the core WordFence features are:

    • Suspicious visitor/host blocking
    • Login protection with wrong credential input threshold
    • Site scanning
    • Live traffic feed
    • Repairing files
    • Site performance enhancement by caching contents
    • Advanced scanning with scheduling (pro)
    • SMS two-step-verification (pro)
  • Country blocking (pro)

3. iThemes Security

ithemes

Formerly known as Better WP Security, iThemes Security is another popular WordPress security plugin. It has 700K+ active installs. iThemes security offers more than 30 ways to protect your site from cyber attackers. These features include:

    • Suspicious IP Blocking
    • Blocking users from login after a certain number of failed attempts
    • Automated database backups
    • Away mode (disabling site-wide login for a predetermined period)
    • Error records (e.g. 404 not found errors)
    • Protecting wp-config.php, .htaccess files from unauthorized editing
    • One click site security checkup
    • Password hardening and expiration (pro)
    • Two-step-verification (pro)
  • Temporary privilege allowance (pro)

4. All In One WP Security & Firewall

aio

All In One WP Security & Firewall plugin has 200K+ active installs and 4.9 star rating. The plugin has its own security grading system which displays the current security status of your site. You can improve that grading score by taking necessary steps according to the plugin’s guideline. It offers:

    • User account security enhancement by restricting ‘admin’ username
    • Enabling administrators manually confirm new registrations
    • Protecting the site from brute force attacks by using IP and user locking methods
    • Automated database backup
    • Securing file-system by disabling write permission
    • Backing up the wp-config.php & .htaccess files and easily restore them if site breaks
    • Security scanning
    • WHOIS lookup for host or IP
    • Firewall and blacklisting
    • Reducing comment spams
  • Disabling front-end text copying by preventing text selection and right click

5. BulletProof Security

bps

BulletProof Security highlights that it can protect your WordPress site from 100,000 different attacks. The plugin has both free and paid versions. The pro version costs only $59.95 which is a one-time payment. If you buy the plugin once, you can use it for the lifetime on unlimited sites. The plugin’s developer team will continue tech support and version upgrades as well. Some of its core features are:

    • One-click setup wizard
    • Site database backup
    • FIle access/write protection
    • Custom maintenance mode (only admin can access the site – pro)
    • Locking and unlocking the .htaccess file
    • User login email notification
    • Real time file change monitor (pro)
    • Database monitor logs (pro)
    • Uploads folder guard (pro)
  • Firewall

There are many other free, freemium and premium only security plugins for WordPress. Probably you will like to use more than one such plugins to get every feature you need. Suppose, a security plugin may not have manual user registration confirmation feature while that may provide a better malicious login prevention feature. Plus, follow these widely used tricks on strengthening WordPress security. So explore and try!

Which WordPress Security plugin(s) do you use?