Your website is valuable. No matter your industry or your company function, your website will often be the first thing that potential customers see. And protecting that with a WordPress firewall plugin is incredibly important.
With your business name, company assets, time, and money invested in your website, it’s also important to be aware of the high level of threat from potential hackers and criminals.
The Internet has grown exponentially since its inception, and these individuals have gotten more innovative and faster when it comes to exploiting websites. But thankfully, security has managed to keep up.
Types of Threat
A WordPress site can suffer from two main types of attack:
An application-level attack is when the attacker exploits a weakness within the WordPress framework to access your site.
A DNS-level attack is when the attacker takes over your Domain Name System (DNS) and points it to a malicious site, for example, hacker.com.
WordPress Firewall Plugins
A WordPress firewall plugin is security software that creates a shield between your website and incoming traffic.
The WordPress firewall plugin monitors all your website traffic, blocking common security threats like unwanted visitors, malware, spam, and so much more.
Another advantage WordPress firewall plugins provide apart from security is that they also boost your website performance in some cases.
You know you need to protect your investment, and it can all seem a bit overwhelming. However, a firewall plugin is often easy to implement and can save you headaches and additional costs that make it worthwhile.
If you are unsure where to start with firewall plugins, read on for our comprehensive guide that will tell you everything you need to know.
Plugins mentioned:
This plugin is one of the best out there. Over time, this plugin has earned the trust of every single WordPress user. The main reason for this is the simple interface and the robust security measures it has to offer.
The password strength feature encourages you to make even better passwords that make it incredibly difficult for third parties to decipher.
The login lockdown feature helps you protect against those with a specific IP address based on your configuration settings. This is ideal if you want to give your site some protection against brute force attacks.
If you are concerned about suspicious activity, then this plugin gives you the chance to monitor any failed login attempts and see which users have logged into your site.
On an ending note, the firewall feature is genuinely fantastic. The malicious scripts are blocked before they affect your site’s code. What more could you ask for in a plugin?
Feature Breakdown:
Password Strength
Monitor Failed Login Attempts
Blocking of Malicious Scripts
Suspicious Activity Monitoring
And more
Sucuri is a highly revered name that needs absolutely no introduction. It is one of the finest plugins around, and one of the winning aspects is that it is absolutely free.
Some of the features that make it such a fantastic WordPress plugin include the fact that you can do a security activity audit and have file monitoring.
Remote malware scanning keeps you free from malware, and it is packaged with a security scanner. This is known as SiteCheck, and this is a very convenient package, to say the least. Blacklist monitoring is yet another feature that comes with Sucuri.
Being blacklisted can be a pain, so this feature is so essential. When you scan, you will be told if you have been flagged by mistake, and with their AntiVirus product, you can get yourself off the list.
Feature Breakdown:
Blacklist monitoring
Secure scanner
Malware protection
Post-Hack Security
Security Notifications
This is an excellent firewall plugin for WordPress, to say the least, and there are so many options available for you to choose from. You have WordPress Brute Force Protection, and this plugin locks people out of your site after a set amount of login attempts.
This also means that you can limit the number of login attempts someone can have. The 404 detection theme will lock out bots that scan your site by identifying the 404.
You can set a limit here, and when the limit has been achieved, you can then block the user. Of course, you can also schedule backups of your WP site and have them emailed right to you.
If you want to find out more about the various features that iThemes Security has to offer then simply take a look below:
Feature Breakdown:
Database Backups
Strong Password Enforcement
File Change Detection
WordPress Brute Force Protection
And more
Next up on the list is Cloudflare. The great thing about Cloudflare as your firewall plugin for WordPress is that you can speed up and protect your site. It’s known mainly for the CDN Service, which includes fundamental DDoS protection. Other protective elements include layered security defences, threat intelligence and machine learning.
The great thing about machine learning is that it prevents bots. Cloudflare tech trains the technology so that it can then identify bots much more efficiently. The mobile app and API protection protects any of your mobile applications from emulation attacks without using mobile SDKs.
Feature Breakdown:
Layered Security Defence
Threat Intelligence
Mobile app And API Protection
And more
Jetpack is another great plugin that you certainly won’t want to miss out on. It’s known for its vast assortment of functionalities, which helps it stand out from the rest.
So what makes this such a great plugin? It’s got a feature that allows for secure authentication, and this means that anyone who tries to access your site is protected by the secure login feature.
The Security Scanning plugin scans your site thoroughly to ensure that any malicious code changes are detected. When the code change has been detected, it sends you a notification.
Downtime monitoring will send notifications to your device to let you know if there is a chance of you experiencing downtime. You will also be notified about how long the downtime was for.
Feature Breakdown
Brute Force Attack Protection
Security Library
Secure Authentication
Malicious Code Changes
And more
WordFence is one of the best firewall plugins for Wordpress out there. This plugin has over 22 million downloads, and it has an average rating of 48 stars out of 5.
It’s powered by Threat Defence, and it will guard you against almost any attack. The repair files mean that the source code verification method will protect you from any hacking attempts, and it will also give you the chance to find out which files were altered.
This means that you can get them back to their original state without any difficulty at all. There is also two-factor authentication. This is one of the most effective methods for stopping brute force attacks, and WordFence uses it to the max.
Feature Breakdown
Country Blocking
Manual Blocking
Threat Defence
Secure Code Verification
And more
WP Fail2Ban delivers one brilliant feature, but it is probably one that you need the most. It gives you protection from brute force, and this plugin takes a very different approach from what you might expect.
WP Fail2Ban actually documents every login attempt regardless of whether or not they are successful and if they are of good nature. You do have the option of implementing either a hard or soft ban.
This is different from the traditional approach, as usually, you can only choose one. At the end of the day, there’s not much to choose from in terms of configuration. In fact, the only thing you have to do is install it and wait for it to work its magic.
Feature Breakdown
It’s Completely Free
Document Any Logins
Hard and Soft Blocks Available
Customisation
And more
SecuPress features blocked IP options, a firewall and brute force login too. It also gives you protection for security keys, and it stops visits from any bad bots.
This is something that you would typically have to pay for. If you want to get even more features, you can pay for the premium version. This will give you even more alerts, notifications and two-factor authentication.
If you want a plugin that can really do it all, you won’t be disappointed with this one, and you will be surprised at how much it could help you protect your site.
Feature Breakdown
GeoIP Blocking
PHP Malware Scans
PDF Reports
Two-Factor Authentication
Premium Versions
And more
The Bulletproof Security plugin has a free and a premium version. The paid option is actively developed and contains a ton of features. They offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, and you can also receive email alerts, anti-spam and even auto-restore options too.
If you have never even thought about using this plugin before, then now is the time for you to give it a go.
After all, there are so many options available, and it gives you the chance to explore too. If you want to find out more about this plugin, then check out the feature breakdown below:
Feature Breakdown
Login and Security Monitoring
Database Backups
Anti-Spam and Hacking Tools
Security Logs
Hidden Plugin Folders
Auto-Restore Options
We hope that our guide on finding the best WordPress firewall plugin for your website has helped.
Securing your WP website with a Wordpress firewall plugin has never been easier, and if you follow the above guidelines, you should find that you can get the best result from your site security.
Many of these plugins are free, and they’re easy to install and set up. If you aren’t sure which one is the right one for you, then simply go through the options and focus on the core needs of your business.
Important features tend to be security logs, anti-hacking tools and login monitoring. Everything else could be considered a bonus, so focus on those if you’re unsure where to start.
If you’re looking to install firewall plugins for Wordpress and you’d like some help, AmeenDigital offers expert-level options for businesses looking for website maintenance and support. Book a discovery call with us today.
