WordPress might be the best CMS around, but it’s not perfect. A website built on WordPress can, surprisingly, be easily compromised. So if you’re using the CMS with a laid-back approach regarding security, it’s like walking on thin ice.
Best WordPress Security Plugins 2023
1. Wordfence Security
Wordfence includes an endpoint firewall and malware scanner that was built from the ground up to protect WordPress. Our Threat Defense Feed arms Wordfence with the newest firewall rules, malware signatures, and malicious IP addresses it needs to keep your website safe. Rounded out by 2FA and a suite of additional features, Wordfence is the most comprehensive WordPress security solution available.
Features:
- Web Application Firewall identifies and blocks malicious traffic. Built and maintained by a large team focused 100% on WordPress security.
- Protects your site at the endpoint, enabling deep integration with WordPress. Unlike cloud alternatives do not break encryption, cannot be bypassed and cannot leak data.
- Integrated malware scanner blocks requests that include malicious code or content.
- Protection from brute force attacks by limiting login attempts.
- Malware scanner checks core files, themes, and plugins for malware, bad URLs, backdoors, SEO spam, malicious redirects and code injections.
- Compares your core files, themes, and plugins with what is in the WordPress.org repository, checking their integrity and reporting any changes to you.
- Repair files that have changed by overwriting them with a pristine, original version. Delete any files that don’t belong easily within the Wordfence interface.
- Two-factor authentication (2FA), one of the most secure forms of remote system authentication available via any TOTP-based authenticator app or service.
- Login Page CAPTCHA stops bots from logging in.
- Disable or add 2FA to XML-RPC.
- Block logins for administrators using known compromised passwords.
2. Sucuri Security
Sucuri Inc. is a globally recognized authority in all matters related to website security, with a specialization in WordPress Security.
The Sucuri Security WordPress plugin is free to all WordPress users. It is a security suite meant to complement your existing security posture. It offers its users a set of security features for their website, each designed to have a positive effect on their security posture.
Features:
- Security Activity Auditing
- File Integrity Monitoring
- Remote Malware Scanning
- Blacklist Monitoring
- Effective Security Hardening
- Post-Hack Security Actions
- Security Notifications
- Website Firewall (premium)
3. iThemes Security
iThemes Security (formerly Better WP Security) gives you over 30+ ways to secure and protect your WordPress site. On average, 30,000 new websites are hacked each day. WordPress sites can be an easy target for attacks because of plugin vulnerabilities, weak passwords, and obsolete software.
Most WordPress admins don’t know they’re vulnerable, but iThemes Security works to lock down WordPress, fix common holes, stop automated attacks, and strengthen user credentials. With advanced features for experienced users, our WordPress security plugin can help harden WordPress.
Pro Features:
- Two-Factor Authentication – Use a mobile app such as Google Authenticator or Authy to generate a code or have a generated code emailed to you.
- WordPress Salts & Security Keys – The iThemes Security plugin makes updating your WordPress keys and salts easy.
- Malware Scan Scheduling – Have your site scanned for malware automatically each day. If an issue is found, an email is sent with the details.
- Password Security – Generate strong passwords right from your profile screen.
- Password Expiration – Set a maximum password age and force users to choose a new password. You can also force all users to choose a new password immediately (if needed).
- Google reCAPTCHA – Protect your site against spammers.
- User Action Logging – Track when users edit content, login or logout.
- Import/Export Settings – Saves time setting up multiple WordPress sites.
- Dashboard Widget – Manage important tasks such as user banning and system scans right from the WordPress dashboard.
- Online File Comparison – When a file change is detected it will scan the origin of the files to determine if the change was malicious or not. Currently works only in WordPress core but plugins and themes are coming.
- Temporary Privilege Escalation – give a contractor or someone else temporary admin or editor access to your site that will automatically reset itself.
- wp-cli Integration – Manage your site’s security from the command line.
4. All In One WP Security & Firewall
WordPress itself is a very secure platform. However, it helps to add some extra security and firewall to your site by using a security plugin that enforces a lot of good security practices.
The All In One WordPress Security plugin will take your website security to a whole new level.
This plugin is designed and written by experts and is easy to use and understand.
It reduces security risk by checking for vulnerabilities, and by implementing and enforcing the latest recommended WordPress security practices and techniques.
Features:
- Detect if there is a user account that has the default “admin” username and easily changes the username to a value of your choice.
- Password strength tool to allow you to create very strong passwords.
- Stop user enumeration. So users/bots cannot discover user info via author permalink.
- Force logout of all users after a configurable time period
- Monitor/View failed login attempts which show the user’s IP address, User ID/Username and Date/Time of the failed login attempt
- Monitor/View the account activity of all user accounts on your system by keeping track of the username, IP address, login date/time, and logout date/time.
- Ability to automatically lockout IP address ranges which attempt to login with an invalid username.
- Ability to see a list of all the users who are currently logged into your site.
- Enable manual approval of WordPress user accounts. If your site allows people to create their own accounts via the WordPress registration form, then you can minimize SPAM or bogus registrations by manually approving each registration.
5. BulletProof Security
WordPress Security Protection: Malware scanner, Firewall, Login Security, DB Backup, Anti-Spam & much more. View the Security feature highlights below. View BulletProof Security feature details under the FAQ help section below. Secure your WordPress website even further by adding an additional BulletProof Security Bonus Custom Code. See BulletProof Security Bonus Custom Code under the FAQ help section below. Effective, Reliable & Easy to use WordPress Security Plugin.
Features:
- One-Click Setup Wizard
- Setup Wizard AutoFix (AutoWhitelist|AutoSetup|AutoCleanup)
- MScan Malware Scanner
- .htaccess Website Security Protection (Firewalls)
- Hidden Plugin Folders|Files Cron (HPF)
- Login Security & Monitoring
- JTC-Lite (Limited version of BPS Pro JTC Anti-Spam|Anti-Hacker)
- Idle Session Logout (ISL)
- Auth Cookie Expiration (ACE)
- DB Backup: Full|Partial DB Backups | Manual|Scheduled DB Backups | Email Zip Backups | Cron Delete Old Backups
- DB Table Prefix Changer
- Security Logging
- HTTP Error Logging
- FrontEnd|BackEnd Maintenance Mode
- UI Theme Skin Changer (3 Theme Skins)
- Extensive System Info