My go to WordPress Security Plugins

One of the things I love most about WordPress is how easy it is to extend the functionality of its core by using plugins. WordPress is in itself a very secure piece of software and is heavily supported and patched when security issues arise. With that being said, it is still a good idea in my opinion to go the extra mile and install a few WordPress security plugins that can add an extra layer of security to your WordPress powered website. Below are a few WordPress security plugins that I use on every site so have a look at them and give them a try.

Limit Login Attempts by Johan Eenfeldt

Limit Login Attempts is a great little plugin that limits the amount of times someone can incorrectly try to login to your WordPress admin dashboard. By default WordPress allows unlimited login attempts either through the login page or by sending special cookies. This allows passwords (or hashes) to be brute-force cracked with relative ease. Limit Login Attempts blocks an Internet address from making further attempts after a specified limit on retries is reached, making a brute-force attack difficult or impossible. This may not seem like a big deal but this Plugin could save your site from being hacked and save you a lot of headaches. You can download Limit Login Attempts and install it on your own WordPress powered site, and you can also pay the developer Johan Eenfeldt a visit on his site.

Lockdown WP Admin By Sean Fisher

Lockdown WP Admin is another nice little security plugin that allows you to change the default url of your WP Admin login page to something unique. This makes it harder for hackers to find your WP admin dashboard login page and ultimately making it harder for anyone to compromise your site. Lockdown WP Admin also adds an additional layer of security by implementing HTTP Authentication for your login process. You can download Lockdown WP Admin and install is on your own WordPress powered site, and you can also pay the developer Sean Fisher a visit on his site.

Sucuri Security - SiteCheck Malware Scanner By Dre Armeda & Sucuri Security

Sucuri Security - SiteCheck Malware Scanner is a neat little WordPress security tool that you can use to scan your site for any security issues. This plugin will check your site to see if it has been infected with any type of Malware, has any malicious javascript embedded into it, malicious iframes implanted, suspicious htaccess redirects, blackhat seo spam being used, and any other suspicious anomalies on your site. It also checks to see if your site has been blacklisted for any reason and gives you ways to correct any discrepancies found during the scan. This plugin also gives you a 1 click hardening feature that allows you to improve your sites security by verifying WordPress your version, protecting the uploads directory, restricting wp-content access, restricting wp-incudes access, and verifying the PHP version you are running. This plugin does all of this for you for free so you should first download Sucuri Security - SiteCheck Malware Scanner and then visit the crew over at Sucuri and say thank you.

BackupBuddy by iThemes

BackupBuddy by iThemes is one of my favorite plugins and I have even written a post about how it is my new best friend. Backing up your WordPress site should be one of your first priorities when setting up a new site. Back ups promote security and contribute to peace of mind because if you lose your site to an attack or stupidity on your part, you will be glad you created a back up of your site. BackupBuddy allows you to back up, migrate, restore, schedule, and store off site all within a single user interface that is easy to use. I suggest you get off your wallet, head over to iThemes‘ website, and buy BackupBuddy today. You will be glad you did!

Other helpful tips

Securing your WordPress website is important, and making sure to keep your WordPress install, Plugins, and Themes up to date are also key to keeping your site secure. The few extra minutes it will take you to update all of your site elements and for you to download, install, and configure these plugins could save you hours of headaches and money in the long run.