When you set up your WordPress website, ensuring that it is secure is one of the most crucial things to be considered. With the right integrations, WordPress security plugins serve as a powerful line of defense to keep your website secure and resilient. There are many paid and free plugins that you can use. It is important to know about the right plugins to get the best functionality and features. Ultimately, it’s all about identifying the right plugins and making the right investment for your website or blog.
Here is an insight on the best WordPress security plugins for protecting your website or blog:
1. Sucuri Security
The free version of the Sucuri Security plugin works great. It is one of the best security for WordPress websites, bringing strong security measures even in the free version. The aspect that makes this plugin valuable is that it provides several versions of SSL certificates. Although they come in the package, you have to pay for the service. Customer service for the plugin is through instant chat and email with instant notifications. The plugin also provides advanced DDoS protection for some plans. Lastly, if you don’t feel it’s worth investing in, you will still receive valuable tools for blacklist monitoring, malware scanning, file integrity monitoring, and security hardening.
2. iThemes Security
The iThemes Security plugin, earlier identified as Better WP security, is among the best ways to shield your website, with over thirty offerings to prevent possibilities like hacks and unwanted intruders. The plugin is skillfully developed to identify plugin vulnerabilities, obsolete software, and weak passwords. It is essential to mention that the security plugin provides file change detection. Furthermore, it allows the users to put an additional layer of protection to the login using the Google reCAPTCHA integration. You also have the option of setting the “Away Mode,” which can be used while making updates, thereby effectively locking your WordPress dashboard from all users. This plugin also provides other essentials like 404 detections, brute force protection, and strong password enforcement.
3. Wordfence Security
Wordfence Security is one of the most popular WordPress security plugins. Let us find out why? This plugin is a fine combination of simplicity with innovative efficiency, namely the robust login security features and the security incident recovery tools. It is essential to mention that a significant advantage of Wordfence is its ability to provide insight into overall traffic trends and hack attempts. Also, developers can save plenty of money with the sign-up for multiple site keys. Furthermore, the plugin comes with a full firewall suite with tools for country blocking, real-time threat defense, manual blocking, brute force protection, and a web application firewall. Equipped with a robust scan feature, this plugin effectively identifies and neutralizes malware, live threats, and spam, making it a powerful WP scan tool for website security.
Having discussed the best features of this plugin, it’s only crucial to mention that it can monitor live traffic by viewing Google crawl activity, logins and logouts, human visitors, and bots. Furthermore, the user can also enjoy access to some unique tools like signing in with the cell phone and password auditing, and comment spam filtering.
4. WP Fail2ban
WP Fail2ban is a popular plugin that helps in protecting your website or blog against brute force attacks. It is a distinct type of WP security plugin that registers login activities to the Syslog using LOG_AUTH. This plugin records your login attempts to the Syslog using LOG_AUTH. Here, you have the option to choose between hard or soft blocks. Furthermore, you could also choose to integrate with CloudFlare and proxy servers. This plugin can scan the comments to prevent spam or malicious comments and provides information about spam, pingbacks, and user enumeration.
5. All in One WP Security & Firewall
All in One WP Security & Firewall is a feature-packed plugin option. It provides an extremely convenient interface and customer support without any premium plans. You need to know that this is an extremely visually secured plugin with graphs and meters. This security plugin comes with a blacklist tool to set certain requirements to block a user. The plugin puts up graphs to determine the strength and detects the vulnerable points of the website.
6. Jetpack
If you use WordPress, you might have heard about the Jetpack plugin. This is because the plugin is developed by the same team that has developed WordPress.com. It is essential to mention that Jetpack is filled with modules to strengthen your social media, site speed, and spam protection. Jetpack is a zero-cost resource that delivers the best website security for WordPress websites. You also have the option to upgrade to premium plans with full support. The premium plans turn the plugin into a suite, with added benefits like backups, spam protection, and security scanning. The plugin is completely managed and monitored by Jetpack.
7. Secupress
The Secupress plugin comprises of one of the best, high-quality user interfaces. It’s extremely easy and convenient to use, even for beginners. Secupress is classified as one of the best WordPress security tools owing to its user-friendly interface and robust safety measures. This plugin can also detect the vulnerable themes and plugins that include malicious code.
8. Bulletproof Security
To state the fact, BulletProof Security does not come as the most user-friendly WordPress security plugin. However, there’s no denying the fact that it does the job for advanced developers admirably who aim to leverage the advantage of unique settings and features like the anti-exploit guard and the online Base64 decoder. The plugin comes with a unique advanced security toolset, with features like BPS Pro ARQ Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (ARQ IDPS) encrypting solutions. Furthermore, the user can hide individual plugin folders with this server plugin.
9. Wpscan – WordPress Security Scanner
The WPScan WordPress security plugin has been skillfully developed to provide innovative and unique web security approaches as it leverages a manually-curated vulnerability database. The plugin is popular for using its own constantly updated database. The plugin also provides the user with the option to send email notifications after discovering vulnerabilities.
10. Vaultpress
The Vaultpress plugin shares its functions with the likes of iThemes and Sacuri Security. The plugin comes with real-time backups, along with a calendar view. Additionally, this plugin also facilitates site restoration. The smart highlight of this plugin is the convenient dashboard.
11. Google Authenticator – Two Factor Authentication
It is essential to mention that most plugins that come with individual security features are utilized less as compared to the plugins that provide multiple security features. This is since you already have alternate options like iThemes Security Pro. However, the inclusion of two-factor authentication by the Google Authenticator plugin makes it a new experience. Although frequently passed over, this plugin ensures secure WordPress websites by enabling two-factor authentication.
12. Security Ninja
Security Ninja has been on the block along with the main module performing over fifty security tests, starting from checking files and MySQL permissions to various PHP settings. It comes as extremely user-friendly and convenient with the auto fixer module. It ensures the core files’ integrity as it scans the WordPress core by comparing them to a secured copy from wordpress.org. Additionally, the plugin can log all events on the user’s site.
13. Defender
Defender is a layered WordPress security plugin that provides a list of effective hardening techniques for instantly upgrading website security. This plugin compares the user’s website with the directory, reports changes, and restores the original file. It’s also essential to mention that the plugin comes with Google 2-Step Verification and timed lockout brute force attack shield for login protection.
14. Astra Web Security
Astra Web Security is well known to battle malware, SQLi, XSS, comments spam, brute force, and 100+ threats. Astra security solution is a WordPress plugin; therefore, it effectively fits into replacing DNS settings. Furthermore, it can provide immediate malware cleanup with a rock-solid firewall, which can endure attacks like SQLi, XSS, Code Injection, Bad Bots, Brute force, SEO spam, and other 100+ cyber-attacks. Additionally, it can also facilitate security audits, including the business error logic for WordPress websites.
15. Shield Security
Shield Security has been skillfully developed as a WordPress plugin to support site security. It provides a smart defense with effective responses to threats. It is well suited for both beginners and pro developers. It is essential to mention that Shield Security is arguably the only security plugin that restricts users to access to its settings. It provides smart protection with seamless background supervision without notifications and bugging. Furthermore, this is the only security plugin to come with three types of two-factor authentication.
Reports suggest that approximately 18.5 Million websites are attacked by malware every week. If you have a business running on a website, you must prioritize the security of your website. A single security breach can cause serious damage. Online hackers can tamper with your data or use your compromised website for distributing malicious code. To put it simply, you will lose data with a broken website. The list mentioned above of WordPress plugins will help you provide cover for your website in the long-term.
FAQs
Can WordPress itself handle security without plugins?
Even though WordPress brings core security measures, relying exclusively on its pre-installed settings could prove inadequate to safeguard your site from advanced threats. Using WordPress security plugins is critical for greater defense. Such advanced plugins offer strong login security and continuous threat detection to secure your website.
How do wp security plugins help with malware scanning and removal?
Some of the popular WP security plugins, like Sucuri and Wordfence, are equipped with high-performance solutions to detect and eradicate malware threats. They work in the background to detect suspicious scripts and prevent probable cyber threats. Such plugins bring power protection and peace of mind by ensuring a secure WordPress website.
Do WordPress security plugins help with user management and permissions?
Several WordPress security plugins are often equipped with user access control by letting you regulate user entry and set permissions on your website. These plugins allow you to control user behavior by setting role-based permissions and blocking unauthorized entries, facilitating the best security for WordPress website.
Will a security plugin automatically fix all security vulnerabilities on my site?
Although wp security plugins offer valuable automation to fix known vulnerabilities, depending completely on them may not be a good idea. Such plugins offer functionalities such as malware mitigation and firewall integration. However, it’s important to ensure regular updates on your WordPress with the necessary themes and plugins to implement the best WordPress security.
