Which is the best WordPress security plugin?
Using WordPress security plugins protects your WordPress site from malware, malicious attacks, and hacking attempts. In this article, we’ve rounded up some of the best WordPress security plugins we can use to secure a website.
WordPress may be the best CMS around, but it is not perfect. A website built on WordPress is surprisingly easily compromised. So if you use CMS with any backward approach to security, it’s like walking on the ice.
There may be gaps in your website that hackers know well, and believe me, they don’t waste any good chance of destroying the core of a site. Do you want this to happen on your website? No one did!
Check out : WORDPRESS SECURITY GUIDE: 14 TIPS TO SECURE A WORDPRESS WEBSITE IN 2020
Why Use a WordPress Security Plugin?
About 18.5 million websites are infected with malware at any time every week. An average website is attacked 44 times a day, including both WordPress and non-WordPress websites.
A security breach on your website can lead to some serious damage to your business.
- Hackers can steal your file or data, related to your users and customers.
- It can be used to distribute malicious code to non-compromised websites and other users and other websites.
- You may lose data, lose access to your website, lockout or hold your data hostage.
- Your website may be destroyed or malfunctioning which could affect your SEO rankings and brand reputation.
You need to follow security best practices to protect your website to avoid being hacked. We’ve compiled them all to follow the step-by-step WordPress security guidelines for beginners.
Let’s take a look at our top best WordPress security plugins out there:
Note: You need to use only one plugin from this list. Having multiple plugins enabled from this list may result in bugs.
1. Sucuri
Sucuri is a leading industry in WordPress security, this is one of the best WordPress security plugins in the market. They offer a basic free Security Security plugin that helps you to tighten WordPress security scan your website for general threats.
But the real value lies in the payment plans, which bring in the best WordPress firewall protection. A firewall helps you block intrusive power and malicious attacks from accessing WordPress.
Sucuri website firewall filters out bad traffic before it reaches your server. They provide fixed content from their own CDN server.
In addition to security, their DNS level firewall with CDN gives you great performance and speeds up your website.
Most importantly, they offer to clean your WordPress site if it is infected with malware at no extra cost. You can even make a website that is already affected by malware and they will make it clear for you.
Features That Make Sucuri Security a Perfect Choice:
- File Integrity Monitoring
- Security Activity Auditing
- Security Notifications
- Remote Malware Scanning
- Effective Security Hardening
- Post-Hack Security Actions
- Blacklist Monitoring
- Website Firewall (premium)
Sucuri Security is a free security plugin for Basic WordPress users, which you can use to complement your existing security system.
2. Wordfence
Wordfence is another popular WordPress security plugin. They offer a free version of their plugin that comes complete with powerful malware scanners, detection and threat detection features.
The plugin will automatically scan your website for general threats, but you can also launch a full scan at any time. You will be alerted if any signs of security breach are detected with instructions to correct them.
WordPress comes with a built-in WordPress firewall. However, this firewall runs on your server just before WordPress loads. This makes it somewhat less effective than a DNS level firewall such as Security.
Wordfence Features of This Powerful Security Plugin:
- Advanced Manual Blocking
- Leaked Password Protection
- Two-Factor Authentication
- Country Blocking
- Repair Files
Wordfence is one of the most popular WordPress plugins (an argument that can be made for ‘most popular‘ for WordPress) security plugins. With over 2 million active installs, this plugin is gaining the trust of millions of WordPress users worldwide. If you are interested in WordFence Security you can read our article, We covered everything about WordFence Security.
3. All In One WP Security
All in One WordPress Security Plugin is a powerful WordPress security system, firewall, and monitoring plugin. This enables you to easily apply basic WordPress security best practices to your site.
It comes with features like brute force attack, IP filtering, file integrity monitoring, user account monitoring, scanning for suspicious patterns of database injection.
It comes with a basic website level firewall that can detect some common patterns and block it for you. But this is not very efficient and often you have to manually blacklist suspicious IPs.
Features of All In One WP Security & Firewall:
- Configurable Time for Force Logout
- Protection Against “Brute Force Login Attack
- Monitor/View Account Activity of All User Accounts
- Monitor/View Failed Login Attempts
- Add Google ReCaptcha to the WordPress Login Form
800,000+ people trust their websites with All in one WP protection so if you install this plugin, you will be in a great company that values their WordPress security. This is definitely one of the best WordPress firewall plugins.
4. iThemes Security
iThemes has been developing WordPress tools since 27. BackupBuddy is another trusted and popular WordPress backup plugin run by iThemes, so if you install iMess Security, you know you’re safe because the plugin is maintained and supported by iThemes itself.
It comes with file integrity verification, security tightening, login attempts, strong password enforcement, 404 detections, intrusive power security and more.
iThemes protection does not include any website firewall. It also does not include its own malware scanner and uses the SecureCheck malware scanner.
Features of iThemes Security Plugin:
- Bans Troublesome User & Bots, etc.
- Scans & Reports WordPress Security Vulnerabilities With Fixes
- Strengthens Server Security
- Enforces Strong Passwords
With this huge array of features and 900,000+ active installations, iThemes Security is another great option for adding security protection to your website.
5. Anti-Malware Security
Anti-Malware security Another useful WordPress anti-malware and security plugin. The plugin actively comes with maintenance definitions that help it find the most common threats.
This malware protection scanner lets you easily scan all files and folders on your WordPress site for malicious code, backdoor, malware and other known patterns of malicious attacks.
You will need to create a free account on the plugin website to access the latest definitions and to get some premium features like brute force prevention. The plugin calls for developers to find updated definitions on the website.
Features of Anti-Malware Security plugin:
- Upgrade vulnerable versions of timthumb scripts.
- Download Definition Updates to protect against new threats.
- Firewalls prevent SoakSoak and other malware from exploiting Revolution Slider.
- Run a full scan to automatically remove known security threats, backdoor scripts and database injections.
When checking the plugin thoroughly, it often shows a large number of false positives. It is quite a task to match each of them with the source file.
6. BulletProof Security
Bulletproof Security is not the best WordPress security plugin on the market, but it is still effective with some great features. It also comes with a setup wizard that helps you with the plugin settings.
The settings panel also includes links to extensive documentation to help you understand how scans and security settings work. It comes with a malware scanner that lets you check the integrity of WordPress files and folders.
To tighten security, this includes login protection, idle session logout, security log and database backup utilities. You can set up email notifications, including security logs, and receive alerts when a user is locked out.
Features of BulletProof Security WordPress Plugin:
- .htaccess Website Security Protection
- One-Click Setup Wizard
- Login Security & Monitoring
- Hidden Plugin Folders|Files Cron
- Auth Cookie Expiration
- Idle Session Logout
Along with this Bulletproof security plugin, there is a Pro version of the added features, which lets you secure your ‘WP-Admin’ folder and root website folder with a single click. With over 70,000 active installations, it is still not in the hands of many other WordPress website security plugins as it is on this list, but it is a powerful security plugin for your site.
7. Google Authenticator – Two Factor Authentication
Google Authenticator is especially for you if you are a Clef user. On the Plugins page, you can see a guide on how to migrate from Clef to Google Authenticator.
It claims to have a clef-like experience and I wouldn’t doubt it because the plugin comes from Google and is pretty decent.
The plugin is extremely secure and easy to use. In addition to creating strong passwords, two-factor authentication adds a second layer of security to your WordPress website and can prove to be the difference between good and great security.
Features That Make Google Authenticator a Perfect Choice:
- Or Login With Username & Two-Factor
- Log in using Username & Password & Two-Factor
- Role-Wise Two-Factor Authentication
- Support for All Smartphones
- Deployable for Your Entire User-Base in Minutes
Google Authenticator Pro version allows you to secure more accounts and use enterprise features which means you can take a stronger position in protecting your website.
8. VaultPress
VaultPress is a WordPress security plugin that provides security scanning and backup services in real-time. Designed by Automatic, VaultPress is now one of the best security plugins for WordPress.
The plugin effectively backs up all the posts, comments, media files, revisions and settings of your site to your server. Powered by Jetpack, VaultPress ensures that your website is protected against hackers, malware, damages and detentions.
Features That Makes VaultPress an important Security Plugin:
- Block Spammers Automatically
- Offsite Digital Vault for Automated backups
- Easy Website Restore If Needed
- Single-Click Fix For Viruses, Malware, and Other Threats
- WordPress Security Scan
With 80,000+ activation, VaultPress is your one-stop solution for backing up your own website to the plugin that creates scheduled backups stored on their servers. In addition, the plugin scans your website for malware and viruses, which can be removed with the click of a button.
9. Astra Web Security
Astra is a premium WordPress security plugin It automatically generates a report of how many attacks have been prevented on your website and the nature of those attacks.
While the plugin has many standout features, one standout feature is the removal of one-click malware. No need to wait a few hours for your site to be clean; Just click the “Clean Malware” button and your site will be malware free!
Features of Astra Web Security Plugin:
- Block Countries Known for Hackers
- Intuitive Dashboard With Bird’s Eye View of Website
- Plenty of Other Security Tools
- Scanning Uploads to Prevent Malicious Files
- WebApp Firewall
Astra is Suitable for smaller websites and WordPress blogs that start at $ 9 / month for the required plans, but if you have a larger project, you can opt for a Pro or Business plan that costs $ 19 / month and $ 119 / month, respectively.
10. Shield Security
Shield Security is one of the few WordPress security plugins with a 5/5 rating on Wonder. The plugin claims to make your WordPress website security easy and efficient. This is extremely easy to set up for beginners. Just install the plugin and activate it.
The plugin is smart in that it knows when to notify you and what problems you need to address. This is unlike other plugins that bombard your WordPress admin panel with lots of unnecessary notifications. You can use this plugin to limit the login attempt as well as block the brute force attack.
Features That Make Shield Security a prominent Choice:
- Limit Login Attempts Automatically
- Easy-To-Use Guided Wizards
- Security Admin Users
- Powerful Core File Scanners
Shield Security is a complete package for web security enthusiasts with a variety of features, providing everyone from beginners to advanced users.
Consider this list to make sure your website is secure-
- Install SSL certificate
- Install WordPress security plugins
- Get a reputable web host
- Update current plugins
- Use a CDN
- Use a password manager
We hope this article helped you find the best WordPress security plugins for your website. You may also want to check out our WORDPRESS SECURITY GUIDE STEP BY STEP that will help you to secure a WordPress website and 3 simple way to INSTALL WORDPRESS PLUGIN properly on your website.
