WordPress Security Plugin
Effective WordPress Security
for Your Website
WP Guardian is a security firewall plugin for WordPress.
WP Guardian monitors all incoming web requests to the site using simple heuristic analysis, detects and prevents the most common attacks. It’s worth noting that there are many similar solutions that perform similar tasks; but they are not always installed on the latest versions of WordPress, do not always work as they should, and are often simply difficult to install and configure.
Your all-seeing-eye to proactively scan & identify threats
WP Guardian’s purpose is not to replace blog updates, protection, and control by the site owner, but rather to mitigate some attacks and give you the opportunity to take some measures to protect the site.
What Does WP Guardian Do?
WP Guardian is a powerful security firewall for websites, designed to protect against a wide range of attacks, including hacking attempts, SQL injections, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other malicious activities.
Top Features & Goals of WP Guardian
- Security via simplicity
- Extensive firewall protection
- Fine-tuned to minimize false positives
- Lightweight, modular, flexible, and fast
- Completely plug-&-play with no configuration required
- Improves security, reduces server load, and conserves resources
- Open source, easy to use, and completely free
- 100% compatible with WordPress
- Better bad bot detection
- Built-in logging
What is a Firewall?
WP Guardian is an advanced web application firewall (WAF), which is a set of web-server rules that filter out some common bad traffic before it hits the WordPress site. This type of firewall is intended to reduce the cost of traffic requesting PHP/WordPress resources.
Types Of Attacks & Threats WP Guardian Protects
- Directory Traversal
- HTTP Response Splitting
- (XSS) Cross-Site Scripting
- Cache Poisoning
- Dual-Header Exploits
- SQL/PHP/Code Injection
- File Injection/Inclusion
- Null Byte Injection
- PHP information leakage
- Invest in Quality Hosting: Choose a hosting provider that utilizes Apache as the server, which offers robust security features such as Web Application Firewall (WAF), Sucuri integration for website security, email scanning, malware protection, and free cleanup services. Ensure that the hosting environment is not shared, and opt for providers that offer 24/7 support. Apache is preferred due to its widespread usage and compatibility with various server configurations.
- Keep Themes and Plugins Updated: Only run themes and plugins that are regularly updated by their developers and have active support. This helps to ensure compatibility with the latest WordPress versions and security patches.
- Stay Updated with PHP/MySQL: Keep your PHP and MySQL versions up-to-date to benefit from performance improvements, security enhancements, and compatibility with the latest WordPress features.
- Utilize Cloudflare: Integrate Cloudflare into your website for improved security, performance, and reliability through its content delivery network (CDN) and DDoS protection services.
- Secure Access Points: Enforce the use of Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for additional security. Enforce strong passwords for all user accounts.
- Minimize Unused Plugins/Themes: Avoid installing unnecessary plugins and themes, especially those that come with premium “must-use” plugins. This reduces the potential attack surface and minimizes security risks.
- Perform Regular Security Scans: Conduct regular security scans using tools like WPScan, which may require Ruby and Homebrew for installation but provide valuable insights into potential vulnerabilities.
- Secure Database Configuration: Ensure that your WordPress database is properly configured, either by using the latest version of WordPress with auto-updates enabled or by implementing security measures in older versions.
- Use SFTP for Secure File Transfers: Allow only Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) access for file transfers, avoiding less secure protocols like FTP.
- Implement Server-Level Security Measures: Utilize server-level security measures such as Fail2Ban to mitigate brute force attacks, rather than relying solely on PHP plugins like Wordfence.
- Integrate reCAPTCHA: Implement reCAPTCHA on your website’s forms to prevent automated spam submissions and enhance security.
- Choose Premium Form Plugins: Opt for premium form plugins like Gravity Forms for secure form submissions, avoiding less secure options like Contact Form 7.
- Customize Database Prefix: Change the default database table prefix from “wp_” to a custom prefix to add an extra layer of security.
- Strengthen Admin Credentials: Avoid using default usernames like “admin” and weak passwords. Additionally, change the numerical user enumeration from the default range to a higher value for added security.
- Disable XML-RPC: Disable XML-RPC functionality to mitigate potential security vulnerabilities associated with this feature.
- Utilize Email Delivery Services: Utilize email delivery services like SendGrid, which may be integrated into some hosting providers, for reliable email delivery and enhanced email security.
- Manage Comments Effectively: Consider disabling comments altogether or use a premium plugin like CleanTalk to effectively manage and filter spam comments.
- Implement Offsite Backups: Set up offsite backups for your website data to ensure data redundancy and quick recovery in case of emergencies. Some quality hosting providers may include this service as part of their package.
- Consult Hosting Support: Engage with your hosting provider’s support team to assess their level of expertise and receive specific recommendations for securing your WordPress website.