Websites are your piece of real estate in the Internet, and like any valuable property, you want to ensure that it’s safe from thieves and intruders. This is why there are a lot of services that offer protection for websites, including those built with WordPress.
WordPress itself is built with a solid and secure framework, but this doesn’t make it immune to hackers. Weak passwords are just one of many factors that lead to a website getting hacked.
Because of this, have an extra layer of security for your site is not a bad idea. Here are some of the best WordPress security plugins to help you protect your site:
*Important: Back up your site before using any of these plugins in case there is a problem or compatibility issue with other plugins.
Best WordPress Security Plugins 2017
1. All In One WP Security & Firewall
This WordPress security plugin has a user-friendly interface for those who are not familiar with advanced security settings. Some of its features includes a password strength tool to help you create stronger passwords, as well as a login lockdown feature that blocks an IP address from continuously making failed login attempts, which is called a Brute Force Attack.
The firewall feature blocks malicious scripts before it affects the code on your WordPress site. It also lets you prevent hotlinking of images, as well as block fake Googlebots from crawling your site.
2. iThemes Security
Formerly Better WP Security, this security WordPress plugin is developed by iThemes which makes themes and other plugins for WordPress. The plugin is great for beginners and advanced users alike. There’s a one-click installation for the novice user, and options to configure more advanced settings from the dashboard.
For easier maintenance, the iThemes dashboard presents the user with a checklist of security actions he can take — and these are rated from low to high priority.
3. Wordfence Security
This WP plugin for security has over 1 million installs to date, and provides free protection from malware and hacks. In addition to the usual features of two-step authentication, stopping brute force attacks and user security strengthening, it also provides scanning features to check if the site is already infected.
4. Sucuri Security
Sucuri is primarily a monitoring tool for certain changes and activities that can harm your WordPress site. Since it requires a lot of understanding and familiarity with codes and file systems within WordPress, this plugin is meant for developers and admins who are experts in analyzing this information.
Other advanced features include remote malware scanning, security blacklist monitoring and post-hack security actions.
5. WP Antivirus Site Protection
This security plugin for WordPress performs deep scans of all website files to secure WordPress. It detects backdoors, rootkits, trojan horses, worms, fraudtools, adware, spyware, hidden links, and takes necessary actions to remove them. The virus database is updated daily and any threats detected on your site will visible in the WordPress admin area and can also be sent to you by email. Data is scanned using the Siteguarding.com API.
6. Clef Two-Factor Authentication
This best plugin is an interesting way to login to your WordPress site. With the Clef app open on your phone, hold it in front of the WordPress login screen and line up the patterns on both devices. They should “detect” each other and you should be able to log in to your WordPress site.
This is great for people who might have trouble remembering their passwords, or simply want a more secure way to log in. The service has free and pro versions, and the mobile app is available for IOS and Android.
7. Google Authenticator
Two-factor or two-step authentication is used by this plugin when a user logs in to a WordPress site. In addition to entering a user name and password, another method of authentication is done such as a text, voice call or a mobile app. It also supports security keys plugged in the USB port.
The second step is only required once per device, so if you only use one device, you don’t have to enter the second authentication method again. You’ll only do it again if you log in to another device.
8. Brute Force Login Protection
This plugin for WordPress security does only one thing: protect your website against brute force attacks using .htaccess. The plugin blocks an IP address for a specified period of time if it continues to log in with the wrong user name and password.
9. Bulletproof Security
This WordPress security plugin covers three major areas: firewall, login and database security. It has a one-click setup wizard which makes it fast and easy to set up. For more advanced users, there’s also a manual mode for more specific fine tuning. The .htaccess security filter are designed to match malicious and nuisance attack patterns, which is great for maintaining website speed and integrity.
10. VaultPress
VaultPress is a premium subscription service made by Automattic, the makers of WordPress. This WordPress security plugin offers an easy way to back up your site daily or in real-time syncing all of your site content. In addition to daily backups, the service also scans and removes threats found in your files.
You can choose from two bundles, Backup or Security, or get both. The Backup bundle costs $9/month or $99/year and the Security bundle costs $29/month or $299/year.
11. WP Security Ninja
WP Security Ninja is a super fast (or in this case – ninja fast ) way to scan your website for any threats. This WordPress security plugin takes less than a minute to scan your website. It will then show you all viable security concerns accompanied with links to detailed explanation of the problem and measures you can take to fix them. The plugin is also very user-friendly. Yes, in the context of website security, some things are very simple while others are quite complex, but with Security Ninja, all you have to do is just press “Scan now, ” and all will be taken cared of.
You can rest assured as the plugin will run over fifty different security tests including brute-force attacks to make your site more secure. It will also keep you safe from wannabe hackers or the “script kiddies.” And if you plan on going pro then you will get features like the Core Scanner, Malware Scanner, Auto Fixer, Events Logger and Scheduled Scanner. Overall, this is a very fast and light plugin with a considerable list of features that is sure to keep your site safe from some threats.
12. Acunetix WP Security
Acunetix offers a free solution to all your WordPress security issues but comes with a comprehensive list of tools. Right after activation, the plugin gets to work and will begin searching for any site vulnerabilities. Now, if it finds that your site’s security might be compromised, then it will immediately show you areas that need your attention. Furthermore, the plugin also suggests different methods you can adopt to make your website more secure.
This WordPress security plugin can also help you to change the password, incorporate file permission to protect your data, hide the WordPress version which you are using as well as remove WP Generator META tag that comes along with the core code. All this measure combined will make it next to impossible for hackers to determine if you are a WordPress user.
Another way to use the plugin is by having it disable the error information on the login page. This way, hackers won’t be able to guess whether the username or the password is wrong. And to top all of this, the plugin is multisite ready and can also backup all your WordPress data. All these features are pretty nifty considering that it comes with a “free” price tag.
Conclusion
As website owners, we are responsible for the safety of our content. These are content that we worked hard to build and publish, so it makes sense to protect it as much as we can. These plugins are helpful for adding an extra layer of security and safety for your website, but vigilance and awareness should always be the main weapon against hack attacks.
If you’re not familiar with how a WordPress site might get compromised, it’s important to learn about it now. The more you know, the more you can optimize these plugins to work for your site.