Recommendations and Selection Advice for 6 Popular WordPress Security Plugins

For a commercial website, website security is a relatively important aspect. If you are not very proficient in server technology and website technology yourself, then installing a WordPress security plugin is a good choice. Among so manyWordPress Pluginwhich WordPress security plugin is the best to install? Naiba here summarizes several popular WordPress security plugins for everyone.

Popular WordPress Security Plugin Recommendations

Wordfence Security

The Wordfence Security pluginNaiba is currently using (not using anymore, now running bare) , previously introduced in a separate article: 4 Malware Scanning Plugins Recommended by WordPressWordfence Security has over 3 million active installations, which should be considered the most popular WordPress security plugin.Wordfence Security is relatively simple to set up; you hardly need to do any configuration, just activate it. Wordfence Security includes a firewall that you can use to block specific crawler bots or visitors from specific regions and countries. It also includes a scanning tool that can scan your server for malware, broken URLs, backdoors, spam, malicious code, themes, and plugins. It also provides security features such as preventing brute-force login attempts and identifying users with weak passwords on the server.Download Link

All In One WP Security & Firewall

All In One WP Security & Firewall has over 800,000 active installations. It features a scoring dashboard that allows you to visually assess the security status of your website.The firewall rules in All In One WP Security & Firewall are divided into three levels: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. You can adjust and configure the firewall rules according to your needs. Moreover, using All In One WP Security & Firewall does not slow down your website. Most importantly, All In One WP Security & Firewall currently has Chinese translation available, so you don't have to worry about not understanding it after installation.Download Link

iThemes Security

iThemes Security has over 900,000 active installations and was originally named Better WP Security.The introduction page for iThemes Security claims it is the #1 WordPress security plugin, but Naiba is not sure how this ranking was determined. WordPress websites can become easy targets for attacks due to plugin vulnerabilities, weak passwords, and outdated software. iThemes Security provides over 30 security methods to protect your WordPress website.Download Link

Sucuri Security

Sucuri Inc. is a globally recognized authority on all matters related to website security, with a focus on WordPress security. Sucuri Security is the security plugin they have developed for the WordPress platform.The free features of Sucuri Security include the following:

• Security Activity Auditing
• File Integrity Monitoring
• Remote Malware Scanning
• Blacklist Monitoring
• Effective Security Hardening
• Post-Hack Security Actions
• Security Notifications

Only the website firewall is a paid feature. Sucuri Security has 500,000 active installations.Download Link

Jetpack

Jetpack is a plugin developed by the WordPress team, supporting both WordPress security and optimization features. It already has over 5 million active installations.Jetpack records when your website goes down and notifies you immediately. Additionally, it provides strong protection against malware and spam. It safeguards your site from brute-force attacks and unauthorized logins. Jetpack also optimizes your images and static resources to make your website faster. Unfortunately, this plugin is not suitable for domestic sites in China.Download Link

Cerber Security

Cerber Security, Antispam & Malware Scan has only over 100,000 active installations. It protects your WordPress website from hackers, spam, trojans, and malware.Cerber Security, Antispam & Malware Scan includes an advanced malware scanner that performs file integrity checks and file monitoring. It supports setting up blacklists and whitelists for website access, customizing the admin login URL, and offers many features, including protection against DoS attacks.Download Link

Why a Security Plugin is Needed

WordPress is the choice for one-third of website owners online, with a very large user base. Given its popularity, there are many people with malicious intent targeting it. You may not know which theme or plugin has vulnerabilities or which piece of code is malicious. For example, Naiba encountered two cases of foreign trade websites being infected with malware, Sharing a Case of a Foreign Trade WordPress Website Infected with MalwareThese hackers may not necessarily want your website's data; they might simply use your website's traffic to display ads for their own benefit. However, this harms the interests of your website. Therefore, a plugin to protect WordPress security is essential. It can help scan your website's themes and plugins to check for vulnerabilities and malware. It can also scan for weak passwords among your website users and block access from specific IPs. In short, if you care about your website's security and lack good security awareness, installing a WordPress security plugin is an excellent choice.

WP Security Plugin Selection Advice

There are many WordPress security plugins available. For plugins with the same functionality, you only need to install one. If you want to install a WordPress security plugin, Naiba recommends that ordinary users install Wordfence directly, while e-commerce users install Jetpack. If you only have a personal website, aside from performing regular website backups, setting a complex password for your website is sufficient. Keep your website and plugin versions updated regularly, avoid installing cracked plugins and themes, and a complex password will generally prevent security issues. Installing a security plugin itself adds some burden to the website and may affect its speed.Readers of this article are also interested in the following: Hide WordPress Admin Login Address to Enhance Security: WPS Hide Login Implement Security Measures to Avoid WordPress Websites Being Hacked