How to Secure Your WordPress Site Against the Latest Threats with Wordfence

WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS). However, you can’t take security threats lightly, as they are always around the corner. Cyberattacks are likely to increase as platforms get bigger, which leads to increased threats. Nevertheless, no CMS is entirely safe.

Taking precautionary measures is a great way to keep yourself ahead of the curve when it comes to taking preventive measures to secure your WordPress website. For this purpose, you’ll need a tool. Are you also seeking a tool to make your website secure against new threats? No need to look any further because we have Wordfence for you!

Wordfence has various capabilities to make your website ultra-secure against threats. It boasts several excellent features, like firewall protection, virus scanning, and login security to monitor suspicious activities.

Wordfence Security 

The WordPress content system is highly targeted by online attacks and threats. However, Wordfence is among the best solutions you need to protect your website from malware, hackers, and malicious attacks. This security plugin performs a scan of any issues to ensure the protection of your website.

If there are any security issues, Wordfence Firewall protection blocks any malicious traffic and alerts you. As a result, the privacy and data on your website remain intact. 

Main Features of the Wordfence Security Plugin

Wordfence Security is a comprehensive security solution to ensure the optimal level of security for your website. There are several options to take advantage of:

A malware scanner: This feature blocks requests that include malicious code or content.

Two-factor authentication (2FA): This adds an extra layer of protection when you log in to your WordPress website.

reCAPTCHA: This prevents bots from logging in to your website as well as limiting spam.

Web application firewall (WAF): The firewall identifies and blocks malicious traffic from your web server. However, it doesn't do it in the cloud.

Protection from Brute Attacks: Wordfence limits the number of connection attempts that you can set as much as you want. 

How to install the Wordfence Security Plugin

Step 1: Go to the Plugins > Add New menu and search “Wordfence” in the search bar.

Click on the “Install Now” button. Then activate the plugin.

Step 2: Once the plugin is activated, a pop-up window will ask for the license. Click the “Get your Wordfence license” button.

This will take you to the pricing page. Click on “Get a Free License” for the free version:

A new window will appear, asking you to endure if you want to use the free version. The next window will ask, “I’m OK waiting 30 days for protection from new threats” or "I'd like real-time protection!"

In the next pop-up, add your email address, and click on "Register":

Step 3: Now you'll receive an email containing the license key. You can also activate it automatically. To do this, click on the “Install My License Automatically” button.

The next page will have the “Email” and “License Key” fields already filled in. Click on “Install License” to finish it.

The plugin is now running. 

Setup the Wordfence Security plugin

You will need to set up the Wordfence security plugin before configuration. The following notification will appear once you have installed and activated the plugin:

Enter your email and click on Get Alerted. Then close the notification. Move to the WordFence tab on your dashboard. Let's start the setup of the Wordfence security plugin now: 

Set up login security measures.

Click on Wordfence > Options. Find it in the Basic Options section. Locate and tick on the Enable login security. 

This click will enable all the basic login security features, such as login limits, strong password requirements, and two-factor authentication (2FA).

After doing this, head down further to the Login Security Options section:

Wordfence Security has solid default login options. They force users to create strong passwords, block out users on too many attempts, and prevent the reveal of login errors.

You can change the number of attempts it takes before access is temporarily blocked. Keeping this number to like 5 attempts is great to prevent brute-force attempts. Once you have updated your settings, go to the bottom of the page and click on Save Settings. 

How to perform a site-wide scan

The Wordfence Scan function enables the plugin to detect malicious code or patterns of infection on your website. This is similar to the antivirus software on your cellphone. You can locate and patch existing vulnerabilities. But the best thing is to do a thorough scan regularly.

Go to Wordfence/Scan to use this feature. Click on the Start a Wordfence Scan button.

The yellow boxes below will display overall progress and a scan of results as it moves along:

If the scan detects any vulnerabilities, you'll have the option to either delete those files or restore any infected files to their original version. It is up to you what you should do here. However, make careful choices because deleting critical content can break your website. In the event of any vulnerabilities, the best option is to go for a clean backup. 

How to set up security alerts

At the beginning of this setting-up Wordfence process, it is advised to add your email address for regular alerts. When this configuration is done, you'll receive lots of notifications for several security issues. Go to Wordfence/Options. Locate the Alerts section:

Most of the default options seen above are great from a security standpoint, but others can be a tad annoying for you if you receive emails each time they occur. For instance, you should disable the ‘lost password’ function if you receive an alert whenever someone uses it. This is a standard event, but it doesn't happen this way in most cases. Instead, it results in spamming in your inbox.

You receive alerts similarly when an administrator signs in. You should better uncheck this option, as it becomes unwieldy depending on the number of administrators your WordPress site has. You should better enable the option right below it to get alerts when an administrator signs in from a new device.

In this case, you can quickly check whether the administrator is out of the ordinary, depending on location and the used device. This option is much better than the default settings. So better enable the option.

With this step, we have covered all the steps to secure your WordPress website with Wordfence.

Pricing

The Wordfence security plugin is great, even with the free version. It packs all the features you need to ensure the safety of your website. However, if you want more control, you can upgrade to the premium version. The premium version starts at $119 per year per site. Prices depend on the number of licenses you purchase. Check out the pricing here to better decide the plan you want to buy.

Time delays are the major difference between free and premium plans. The free plan is a little bit slower as compared to premium plans to secure your website. While the premium plan takes a short time to protect your website against new attacks,

Regular updates and community support

The dedicated team of developers behind the plugin actively works to keep it updated against emerging security challenges. Constant improvement in features ensures your website is protected against evolving threats. There’s also a vibrant, active community of Wordfence that contributes to different aspects of the plugin, like development, security tips, best practices, and sharing insights.

This collaborative environment is additional support to keep yourself absorbed in a wealth of knowledge and learn more from experts to ensure optimal security of your website.

Furthermore, the latest information on malware is released regularly to assist WordPress website owners in making the necessary adjustments accordingly. 

Pros and cons of Wordfence 

Pros:

• The free version contains all the features required to secure a website.

• Automatic alerts for security threats.

• Entirely open source 

Cons:

• Scheduling and automation are only for premium users.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of how popular WordPress is, you can’t take the security of a WordPress website lightly. No CMS is entirely safe; threats are always around the corner. However, by taking preventive measures and learning the basics of how to protect your WordPress site, you can keep yourself a step ahead in securing your website.

We did a thorough study of the Wordfence security WordPress plugin. Wordfence for WordPress is a great tool to protect your website against common attacks. The tool is capable of making your website invulnerable to online threats. Beginners may have to learn a little bit more, as it comes with lots of features and a complex interface. However, enough documentation with the product gives you the advantage of learning things quickly.

You will have to do research and implement things accordingly to get a complete hold on your website and make it secure. Familiarize yourself with the different features of Wordfence, and website security will become a breeze for you!

If you have any questions regarding Wordfence or any other plugins, you can contact us at any time. We will be more than happy to help.