WordPress is the most sort blogging platform in the current market. Millions of users use this CMS platform to publish their content on the web. WordPress itself is a very secure and robust CMS. WordPress periodically pushes updates to patch all the known vulnerabilities, but third-party themes and plugins make this framework vulnerable. Hackers sometimes find vulnerabilities in WordPress that allow them to hack the whole server.
Well, why do you need security? Your website is your brand and often the first contact door with your customers. If your WordPress site isn’t secure, it is prone to cyberattacks. Hackers might steal customer info, crash your site, or even take entire control of it. This can adversely affect your business, so keeping it safe is crucial. The threats can come in many forms such as malware or adware, DDOS attacks, stealing customer data, and even hijacking or crashing the site.
This is why, there are lots of security tools, including password managers, VPN apps, and plugins that offer protection for websites, including those built with WordPress. In this article, you’ll find an ultimate list of the 10 best WordPress security plugins. But before proceeding further, check out these must-know tools for website designers
Best WordPress Security Plugins
10 best WordPress Security Plugins
So, today we are discussing the 10 best WordPress Security Plugins to help you protect your site. For your convenience, we have ranked these WordPress Plugins based on the number of active installs made since publication.
Wordfence Security
Want to have a proficient, all-in-one WordPress security solution? You cannot go wrong with Wordfence Security. The most downloaded plugin for WordPress with 22 million+ active installs! It has both free and premium versions. You can select any of these plugins as per your requirements.
However, it claims to make your WordPress website 50 times faster and more secure by using the Falcom caching engine. The premium version of Wordfence security is the best plugin you have ever used. With the paid version you will be able to access some of the state-of-the-art features of Wordfence.
The Premium API key supercharges your security with real-time updates, priority support, and top-notch features like country blocking and two-factor login. Also, it scans for weaknesses, audits passwords, and monitors for spam to keep your site protected.
iThemes Security (formerly Better WP Security)
Another most trustable downloaded plugin is iThemes Security with almost 1 million+ active downloads and 5-star ratings getting higher significantly since 2008. This plugin offers 30+ ways to secure and protect your WordPress website. Like Wordfence, this fantastic plugin also offers both free and paid versions. With one-click installation, you can stop automated attacks and protect your site from hackers. It also fixes some of the common security holes in your WordPress website.
With one-click installation, you can stop automated attacks and protect your site from hackers. It also fixes some of the common security holes in your WordPress website.
However, with the paid version you will get added peace of mind by having professional support from iThemes Security experts. Some of the best Pro features include Two-Factor Authentication, WordPress Salts & Security Keys, Malware Scan Scheduling, Password Security, and much more.
All In One WP Security & Firewall
The All in One WP Security & Firewall is the ultimate easy-to-use free security plugin for WordPress websites. The easy installation process, it will take your site’s security level to a whole new height. This powerful plugin has been downloaded more than 600k times. The WP Security & Firewall plugin incorporates the most updated security practices and techniques recommended for WordPress in a user-friendly way.
This powerful plugin has been downloaded more than 600k times. The WP security and firewall plugin also offers the latest recommended WordPress security practices and techniques with easy-to-use features.
This security feature safeguards your account from brute-force attacks, a method hackers use to guess passwords. If anyone attempts this, it will lock them out. You’ll also receive an email notification if your account gets locked for several failed login attempts. Additionally, it helps you create strong passwords and prompts you to choose a more secure option. Its account monitoring activity features help you keep track of any user’s username, IP, and login date time.
It automatically detects if a user tries to save a weak password and forces him/her to use a secure password. It also has one of the best account monitoring activity features by which you can keep track of any user’s username, IP, and login date time.
Another useful feature of the All in One WP Security & Firewall is a meter on your dashboard that gives your site a score depending on the vulnerability. By adding additional security options, you can increase your score.
BulletProof Security
BulletProof Security protects your website by blocking suspicious users and prevents your site from hacking. That’s why this wp security plugin is highly recommended by the WordPress community. The plugin has been downloaded more than 1million times and enjoys a 4.8 out of the 5-star ranking.
You can download both free and premium versions (for tighter security). This reliable easy-to-use plugin covers three major areas such as firewall, login, and database security. It can secure your website against RFI, XSS, CRLF, SQL injection, code injection hackings, and tons of other WordPress exploits. It has a one-click setup wizard which makes it fast and easy to set up.
This plugin keeps itself updated with new vulnerabilities to keeping your website protected. It keeps on updating automatically according to new exploits and vulnerabilities.
As we mentioned above, the pro version which offers some advanced features to improve the security of your website. But the free version is admired enough to make your website secure.
Acunetix WP Security
If you are scared of security weakness and think that your site has a chance of hacking then Acunetix WP Security is for you. It is the ultimate must-have WordPress security plugin that comes for free.
You can check all of your security issues on the WordPress Dashboard if you are using this Free WP Security plugin. Everyday Acunetix scans your website’s security features to check security issues and malware, making sure you are fully covered.
These comprehensive security tools also suggest corrective actions such as File permissions, Passwords, WordPress admin protection/security, Database security, and Version hiding, and help to remove the WP Generator META tag from core code.
AntiVirus
As the name suggests, AntiVirus is a very useful WordPress security scan WordPress plugin that helps you to scan through your database tables, and theme files and find out malicious injections and suspicious code. It is ranked as one of the best free WP plugins to protect your blog/website from any virus attack. After an easy installation, you can perform a scheduled scan and get the scan report directly to your email.
In addition, this plugin also displays a virus alert on the admin bar if it finds anything unusual. After an easy installation, you can perform a scheduled scan and get the scan report directly to your email.
In addition, this plugin also displays a virus alert on the admin bar if it finds anything unusual.
WP Antivirus Site Protection (by SiteGuarding.com)
WP Antivirus Site Protection is a protective solution for your WordPress website. This is another widely trusted and popular plugin for detecting and removing malicious code, worms, fraud tools, backdoors, rootkits, trojan horses, adware, spyware, and hidden links, and takes necessary actions after thoroughly scanning your WordPress site.
WP Antivirus Site Protection scans not the only virus and malicious code but also finds and analyzes all the files associated with your WordPress website such as theme files, all plugin files, files in uploaded folders, etc to make sure that everything is clean and updated.
The virus database is updated daily, and if it detects any threats on your site then it will be visible in the admin area. The scan report can be set to be sent to you via email.
Google Authenticator
The Google Authenticator plugin lets you use your phone (iPhone, Android, or Blackberry) for two-factor authentication. This adds a code you need to enter along with your password, making it much harder for hackers to break in.
After the successful installation, you will see the plugin’s settings in User > Your Profile. From there, you can set a secret key or use a QR code. Then you have to download the Google Authenticator app on your device and enter the secret key to link up the app to your WordPress site. Once everything is done, as soon as you
Once everything is done, as soon as you log in to your site, you have to open the app and enter the security code provided by the authenticator app before the timer runs out. This is widely called Two-factor or two-step authentication.
Security Ninja
Whether you are a beginner or a professional maintaining multiple WordPress sites, updated industry-standard plugins for your websites are equally important. Well, if you are still using backdated security plugins, then Security Ninja is for you. It’s easy to be safe when a ninja is your bodyguard!
This security plugin combines years of industry expertise into one easy-to-use tool. It runs more than 50 security checks, shielding you from brute-force attacks. It acts like a security guard, constantly scanning for weaknesses and taking steps to prevent attacks before they actually occur.
Among its other features, Security Ninja PRO also prevents 0-day exploit attacks. It also provides code snippets for quick fixes, as well as database configuration tests, and Apache and PHP-related tests.
VaultPress
VaultPress is the last WordPress security plugin on our list. VaultPress wp plugin is another very important useful security and backup plugin that checks malicious viruses and periodically backups plugins, themes, and other files of your website. The best thing about the VaultPress service is how easy it is to restore your backed-up content.
Depending on how large your website is, it may take 1 minute to 2 hours to complete the whole process. This free WordPress plugin offers an easy way to backup your site daily or in real-time by syncing all of the site’s content. In addition to daily backups, this plugin also scans and removes threats found in your files.
VaultPress offers three pricing plans. The Lite plan is $5 per month or $55 per year. The Basic plan is $15 per month or $165 per year and the Premium plan is $40 per month or $440 per year.
MalCare Security Solution
Looking for a comprehensive security solution? We know an excellent one! MalCare Security Solution won’t just clean your hacked site but also make sure that the site remains protected from future security compromises!
Developed after analyzing over 240,000 WordPress websites, MalCare used this collective intelligence to scan for malware in a site. The security solution focuses on both the speed and accuracy of identifying malware. Early detection saves a site from being blacklisted by Google.
With MalCare Cleaner, you no longer have to wait for someone else to fix your site nor do you have to share your website credentials with any security personnel. MalCare’s powerful One-Click Cleaner wipes off all traces of malware from a website within a few minutes.
Brute force attacks are very common these days and MalCare offers preventive measures against them. Its Firewall helps protect a site against bots and hackers 24*7. The Firewall also blocks bad traffic from accessing your site, therefore, preventing any possibility of a security breach..
It enables users to take Site Hardening measures that are recommended by WordPress. Users don’t have to worry about having any technical expertise to perform the Site Hardening function. Just a few clicks and your site’s backend is secured. Additionally, you can update or delete themes, plugins, and WordPress core and also manage users of your website from the MalCare dashboard itself.
Backups are a savior for when disaster strikes. MalCare offers secure and reliable backups (powered by BlogVault) that are accessible for up to 365 days. Finally, white-labeling and client reporting make life easier for users who have client websites to maintain.
Final Words…
As the number of hacking activities is increasing, it is necessary to have security on your WordPress website. Keeping an active security feature is your own responsibility, and you must work hard to make your WordPress site more secure. You should keep WordPress, themes, and plugins up to date and use strong passwords.
To keep WordPress secure, you should use at least one WordPress security plugin to add more security layers to your WordPress website/blog.
To make your job easier, we tried to introduce you to some of the best free and premium tools for this purpose. If you are already using any of these plugins, why don’t you share your experience with us? And if you have found that I have missed one of your favorite security plugins, please let us know by leaving a comment below.
