Keep your WordPress site secure with these security plugins
A gigantic share of about 26.4% of the global websites accounts for WordPress powered websites. As far as the content management system based websites are concerned, WordPress stands top on the list with over 59.4% of the entire websites based on CMS platforms. To augment the features and capabilities of WordPress based websites, over 40 thousand plugins are available in the marketplace.
The WordPress platform is developed with solid security capabilities, but that does not guarantee that the websites based on the WordPress platform are 100% secure from hackers. To cope with the security concerns of WordPress designed websites, hundreds of security plugins have been introduced. This article is an attempt to figure out the top 5 security plugins to choose for your website.
Connect to WP Admin via a VPN
For even more security, WordPress users can use a VPN service when connecting to WordPress. This will prevent any unwanted stealing of passwords or other sensitive user data.
Please note. The first step in keeping your website secure is by always having a secure password. Consider the use of a password manager if you choose to use a complicated password. Secondly, choosing a quality WordPress hosting company with good security is recommend.
1. Wordfence
WordFence security plugin is one of the top-rated security plugins in the marketplace. The number of downloads of this plugin has crossed the 15 million mark. The active install counts over a million. The average customer rating is about 4.9 stars. The latest version of this plugin (6.1.8) has numerous features that make it one of the premium security plugins are given below.
- Intuitive GUI interface with real-time scanning results
- Threat auto-blocking capabilities
- Supports 2-step security via mobile SMS
- Available in both free and premium versions
- Provides detailed information on the origination of the attack
- Improves website performance substantially due to its caching features
- Able to scan open-source plugins, themes, and other installed software tools
- Able to recover the infected website
2. All in One WP Security & Firewall
This security plugin is very popular for its rich features and capabilities. The download count is more than 2 million with over 400 thousand active installs. The latest version (4.1.0) has been rated as 4.8 stars by the satisfied users. It has numerous security features as given below.
- Robust security augmented by the reliable firewall capabilities
- Many industry-standard security features incorporated
- Supports security points grading feature to assess the level of website security
- Separate security rules for basic, intermediate and advanced purposes
- Very intuitive and easy to use interface
- Password strength assessment feature
- Powerful security against brute force login attacks
- Supports the list of brute force locked users along with their IPs
3. BulletProof Security
With a high rating of 4.7 stars, BulletProof Security plugin qualifies itself as one of the best security tools in the WordPress marketplace. This plugin has been downloaded for more than 2 million times with over 100 thousand active installs. The latest version of this WordPress plugin (.53.7) has numerous features as listed below.
- Offers a complete solution, such as login, firewall, and database
- Supports idol session logout ISL feature
- HTTP error and security logging
- Database back features
- Real-time monitoring of files and databases
- Available in both free and premium versions
- Support for auto-restore and quarantine ARQ IDPS
4. Sucuri Security
Sucuri Security is a comprehensive security platform for WordPress based websites. It is very well known for its multi-featured security capabilities. It offers four layers of security, such as integrity monitoring of files, remote scanning of malware, activity auditing and security hardening. Its current version (1.7.17) is rated at 4.6 out of 5 stars. This professional-grade security plugin has recorded over 1.3 million downloads with over 200 thousand active installs. The major features of this security plugin are given below.
- Multi-level security approach
- Supports add-on security firewall
- Immediate security notifications
- Quick remedial actions after any hacking activity
- File integrity and blacklist monitoring
- Professional grade activity auditing
- Very powerful security hardening capabilities
- Powerful scanning engine to accomplish remote scanning
- Supports customized security hardening to safeguard your valuable data
5. iThemes Security
iThemes Security is the new name of ‘Better WP Security’. It offers numerous ways to protect your website from security threats. The current release (5.5.0) is a highly rated WP plugin with a score of 4.7 out of 5 stars. The current number of active installs of this plugin is over 700 thousand. It has been downloaded for over 7.2 million times across the globe. The main features of this plugin are given below.
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- Offers 30 different ways to secure your website
- Available both in basic and pro versions
- Powerful password strength calculator
Supports Google reCAPTCHA and two-factor authentication and password age features
- Tracks user activities
- Blocks malicious users who have already tried to break into other websites
- Super security for Brute Force Attacks
Based on the features and capabilities, the above-mentioned security plugins stand far apart from many other security plugins in the marketplace.
