In this short article, I’ll provide you with a short list of 5 interesting WordPress Security plugins to take a look at. Each of which offers a different set of features, and both free and premium versions.

Intro

WordPress Security is critical for protecting sensitive data, maintaining user trust, and ensuring the smooth operation of a site. For WordPress websites, security is especially important because WordPress is the most widely used content management system (CMS), making it a frequent target for hackers.

Key reasons for securing WordPress sites include:

1. Preventing data breaches: Protects sensitive user information like login credentials, personal data, and payment details.
2. Preserving reputation: A hacked site can damage a brand’s credibility and lose user trust.
3. Avoiding malware: Security vulnerabilities can lead to malware infections, which can harm users and result in blacklisting by search engines.
4. Compliance with regulations: Ensures compliance with data protection laws (e.g., GDPR), which require safeguarding user data.
5. Preventing downtime: Securing the site helps prevent disruptions that could lead to loss of traffic and revenue.

Regular updates, strong passwords, and security plugins are essential to maintaining WordPress security.

1. Wordfence Security:

Link: https://www.wordfence.com/

Join over 5 million secure WordPress site owners using Wordfence Free. Block attacks with the basic tools you need to keep your site safe. 30-day delay on firewall rules and malware signatures.

Free and Pro Versions. Pro Version has more up-to-date malware rules and offers some extra features.

Note: I use this plugin myself on several client’s websites, to complement my manual work. Has a good feature set to harden one’s website right away. It is a helpful tool to complement Cyber Security Specialist work.

2. Sucuri Security:

Link: https://wordpress.org/plugins/sucuri-scanner/

The Sucuri Security WordPress plugin is free to all WordPress users. It is a security suite meant to complement your existing security posture. Currently the ownership of this plugin was transferred to GoDaddy.

Free, you can use paid services found on their website at: https://sucuri.net/.

Note: I use this plugin on my website and I use it interchangeably on clients ‘ websites with Wordfence. Both come in handy and complement Cyber Security specialist’s work. Has a similar default feature set to Wordfence free.

3. Solid Security Pro:

Link: https://solidwp.com/security/

Defend your site against the most common vulnerabilities on WordPress. Custom user login security requirements, Brute force protection, Two-factor authentication and passkeys, Patchstack Integration, includes virtual patching (Pro)

Paid, price depends on the amount of sites to be used on. I haven’t used it, but it has a great feature set and based on the materials I watched so far, this plugin looks promising.

4. All In One WP Security & Firewall:

Link: https://wordpress.org/plugins/all-in-one-wp-security-and-firewall/

All-in-One Security (AIOS) is a security plugin designed especially for WordPress, now brought to you from the team at UpdraftPlus.
Customers love All-In-One Security because it’s easy to use, and it does a whole lot for free.

Free and Premium, featureset varies.

5. Malcare

Link: https://www.malcare.com/

MalCare will keep your site secure without slowing it down. Get automatic
malware scans, one-click malware removal and a real-time firewall for complete
security of your website.

Free and Premium, feature set varies.

Conclusion

In my opinion, having a WordPress security plugin these days is a must. In most case scenarios, using a free plugin should be sufficient to harden one’s website. In the end, most of these plugins offer similar basic feature sets, so I think you should try using either of these yourself and figure out whether or not they suit your needs.

In case you would like a more thorough explanation or a recommendation feel free to try one of the Codeable Experts who specialize in Security / Cleanup and Site hardening, my two picks here are:

1. Francesco Carlucci
2. Gerasimos M 

Featured image from Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/pl-pl/zdjecie/logo-bezpieczenstwa-60504/

Please leave this field empty

Oh hi there 👋
It’s nice to meet you.

Sign up to receive WordPress tips in your inbox, every month.

Email Address *

I don’t spam! Read my privacy policy for more info.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.