Best WordPress security plugins in 2020
WordPress is the widely used content publishing platform powering millions of websites around the globe.
The popularity of WordPress also makes it vulnerable to hackers who are very interested in hacking websites that use WordPress. Studies suggest that on average, 30,000 new websites are hacked each day.
Having a website and owning a business online is certainly unavoidable. So, how can you secure your website? A simple security tool on your WordPress site can solve all the issues and protect your website from the hackers.
In this post, we’ve rounded up the very best WordPress plugins for security that help to protect your website. So, let’s dive in!
Wordfence Security — Firewall & Malware Scan
With over 3 million active installations, WordFence is one of the most popular WordPress security plugins available. Wordfence comes with an endpoint firewall and malware scanner that was built to protect WordPress. It is powered by the constantly updated Threat Defense Feed to provide the best protection available. Wordfence is easy to install and set up and hence great for beginners.
The Web Application Firewall stops you from getting hacked by identifying malicious traffic, blocking attackers before they can access your website. It also blocks common WordPress security threats like fake Googlebots, malicious scans from hackers and botnets. Wordfence sends security alerts via email.
Some of the most powerful features include:
- Leaked password protection
- Live traffic
- Advanced manual blocking
- Country blocking
- Repair files
- Two-factor Authentication
All in One WP Security & Firewall
The All in One is another popular choice as among the WordPress Security plugins with more than 80000 installs. It protects and takes the website security to a whole new level, without slowing it down. This plugin is designed and written by experts and is easy to use and understand. It is a great plugin for beginners. It reduces security risk by checking for vulnerabilities, and by implementing and enforcing the latest recommended WordPress security practices and techniques.
Some of the activated security features allow the plugin to use an unprecedented security points grading system to measure how well you are protecting your site. It notifies via email whenever somebody gets locked out due to too many login attempts. It also has a password strength tool that allows you to create very strong passwords
Some other useful features are:
- 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
- It guards against “Brute Force Login Attack” and with the Login Lockdown feature
- Force logout of all users after a configurable period
- Forbid proxy comment posting
- Block access to the debug log file
- Disable trace and track
- Deny bad or malicious query strings
iThemes Security
iThemes Security has been trusted by more than 90000 websites. It offers more than 30 ways to secure and protect your WordPress site. iThemes Security monitors your site and reports changes to the file system and database that might indicate a compromise. iThemes Security also works to detect bots and other attempts to search vulnerabilities. It works on both multi-site (network) as well as single-site installations. Apart from scanning your website to check vulnerabilities, it also prevents brute force attacks by banning hosts and users with too many invalid login attempts. However, most of the features such as Google reCAPTCHA, Two-Factor Authentication, Malware Scan Scheduling, Password security and much more are available only in the pro version.
BulletProof Security
Bulletproof is a security plugin that offers various protection services such as Malware scanner, Firewall, Login Security, DB Backup, Anti-Spam & much more. It offers both free as well as a paid version with more functionalities. The plugin is really easy to set up with the help of the AutoFix setup wizard. It is available in 3 variable skins with a simple user interface. It has Login Security & Monitoring and besides maintenance mode at both FrontEnd and BackEnd.
Here are some of the key features
- MScan Malware Scanner
- .htaccess Website Security Protection (Firewalls)
- Hidden Plugin Folders|Files Cron (HPF)
- JTC-Lite (Limited version of BPS Pro JTC Anti-Spam|Anti-Hacker)
- Idle Session Logout (ISL)
- Auth Cookie Expiration (ACE)
- DB Table Prefix Changer
- Security Logging
- HTTP Error Logging
Sucuri Security — Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening
Sucuri Security is a free WordPress security plugin for 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. It is available in pro version too but the majority of websites should be fine with the free plugin.
Here are some of the features available in the free version.
- Security Activity Auditing
- File Integrity Monitoring
- Remote Malware Scanning
- Blacklist Monitoring
- Effective Security Hardening
- Post-Hack Security Actions
- Security Notifications
The website firewall feature is available in the premium version
Google Authenticator – WordPress Two Factor Authentication (2FA, MFA)
Google Authenticator is a completely secure WordPress security plugin for your WordPress website that is free. It is simple and very easy to setup. Besides it also offers a simple and very easy to use interface. It ensures that there is no unauthorized access to your website by providing two-factor authentication (2FA, MFA) whenever there is a login to your WordPress website.
The plugin also supports a wide variety of language translation and is GDPR Compliant. It is also compatible with WooCommerce, BuddyPress and bbPress.
Some of the other features are:
- Passwordless login or login with phone number
- This plugin supports standard TOTP + HOTP protocols for Authentication Methods
- Brute force attack prevention & IP Blocking
- User login Monitoring
It also has a premium feature that is multisite compatible. It also offers Multiple Login Options and Backup Method that include Security Questions and much more.
Shield Security: Protection with Smarter Automation
Shield is one of the WordPress Security plugins that is built to protect your site. It is the easiest security plugin to set up and activate. The plugin also has the highest average rating for any WP Security plugin, with more than 70000 active installations. The best part is that its powerful protection blocks attacks and suspicious activity, but won’t lock you out. It alerts you only when you are needed to be informed and avoids unnecessary alerts. It offers the 2-factor authentication so there is no need for you to manage IPs. It is capable of automatically blocking Brute-Force Bots. It also ensures to block all the automated comments spam.
Other features are:
- 2-Factor Authentication – including Google Authenticator and Email
- Audit Trail & User Activity Logging
- reCAPTCHA
- Firewall
- Security Admin Users
- Block REST API / XML-RPC
- HTTP Headers
- Automatic Updates Control
The plugin also offers a Pro version for those that need to take their Security to the next level. The premium features include exclusive Customer email Support, Plugin Vulnerability Scanner, Plugin or Themes Hack Detection ScannerProtection for your WooCommerce customers, Remember-Me 2-Factor Authentication, Powerful Password Policies and much more.
Up to You
So these were some of the free WordPress Security plugins that can combat against hackers and protect your website. If you want to get more features you can check out their premium versions. We hope, our list of the best WordPress security plugins helped to give you the info you needed to find the right security tool for you.
