9 WordPress Brute Force Login Protection Plugins to Secure Your Website

WordPress is the world's most widely used blogging platform; it can build blogs, CMS, e-commerce sites, and various other types of websites. You might think your website has low traffic and security is not crucial. However, what you may not know is that many hackers use software to automatically scan websites on the internet. 30% of websites are built withWordPress to buildTherefore, many hackers target websites installed with WordPress. Some botnets and hackers use leaked databases online to continuously attempt to log into your website, repeatedly trying different user credentials. Once successful, botnets and malicious actors can steal your data, install malware, or even delete all content on your website. Once you use a weak password that is scanned by hackers, your website can be exploited. It is crucial to keep your site safe from brute force attackers. While you can try other solutions, such as setting strong passwords or protecting the admin directory with passwords, installing a brute force protection plugin is a simpler method. All you need to do is choose the most suitable plugin and let it handle the work.

What is a Brute Force Attack

On the internet, a brute force attack is a method that uses specific dictionaries and combinations to crack website passwords. Hackers use software to automatically and repeatedly try different passwords to match your website's password until a match is successful. Almost every website is scanned by bots for passwords daily, though you may not be aware of it.

9 WordPress Brute Force Login Protection Plugins

1. Loginizer
2. Limit Login Attempts Reloaded
3. WP Limit Login Attempts
4. Limit Attempts by BestWebSoft
5. Limit Login Attempts
6. WPS Limit Login
7. Jetpack
8. Brute Force Login Protection
9. Botnet Attack Blocker

Loginizer

Loginizer is one of the best open-source and free brute force login protection plugins for WordPress. Loginizer has over 800,000 active installations. It comes in a free version and a pro version; the free version also protects your website from malicious attacks. Features in Loginizer include:

• Block IP after maximum retries allowed
• Allow extended lockout after maximum lockout
• Send email notification to administrator after maximum lockout
• Blacklist IP / IP Range
• Whitelist IP / IP Range
• Check logs of failed attempts
• Create IP Range
• Delete IP Range
• Licensed under GNU GPL version 3
• Secure and reliable

Download Link

Limit Login Attempts Reloaded

Limit Login Attempts Reloaded restricts login attempts only through normal logins and correct cookies. Stop brute-force attacks. The Limit Login Attempts Reloaded plugin uses this technology so that non-genuine users cannot gain access to the site. Features:

• Limit retry attempts during login (per IP). This is fully customizable.
• Limit the number of login attempts using authorized cookies in the same manner.
• Notify users of remaining retry attempts or lockout time on the login page.
• Optional logs and optional email notifications.
• IPs and usernames can be whitelisted/blacklisted.
• Sucuri Website Firewall compatibility.
• XMLRPCGateway Protection.
• WoocommerceLogin Page Protection.
• With additional MU settingsMultisitecompatibility.
• Compliant withGDPRstandards. When enabled, all recorded IPs will be obfuscated (md5-hashed).
• Custom IP SourceSupport (Cloudflare, Sucuri, etc.)

Download Link

WP Limit Login Attempts

WP Limit Login Attempts is another powerful WordPress brute force protection plugin. It currently has over 40,000 active installations and a rating of 4.5 stars. It limits login attempts to protect the site from brute force attacks. A Brute Force Attack aims to be the simplest method to gain site access: it tries usernames and passwords over and over until it gets in. WP Limit Login Attempts temporarily restricts the number of login attempts and blocks IPs. It detects bots through CAPTCHA verification. Go to Settings > WP Limit Login. Features

• Login Security - Limit login attempts and track user login attempts
• CAPTCHA
• Lightweight Plugin
• Mechanism to slow down brute force attacks
• Redirect to homepage when abnormal requests occur (it will stop hacking tools)
• Compliant with GDPR standards. When enabled, all recorded IPs will be obfuscated (md5-hashed).

Download Link

Limit Attempts by BestWebSoft

Limit Attempts plugin is a WordPress security solution that protects your website from spam and brute force attacks. It limits the number of failed login attempts per user and blocks the user's IP for a period based on your settings. This stops automated scripts from generating a large number of different combinations and cracking your website. Manage blacklists and whitelists, receive email notifications, hide website forms for blocked or blacklisted IPs, and other advanced features to ensure data security.Features:

• This plugin will automatically block IP addresses that attempt to log in and exceed the login attempt limit.
• Allows manually marking IPs as Whitelist and Blacklist.
• You can hide information from blocked IPs, such as login, registration.
• You can display any custom Captcha error message along with invalid attempts to blocked users.
• Multilingual support.

Download Link

Limit Login Attempts

Limit Login Attempts is another popular WordPress login protection plugin. The main goal of this plugin is to provide shelter against brute force attacks.FeaturesFeatures: Login Security - Limit login attempts and track user login attempts Brute Force Attack Protection - Limit the number of allowed login attempts and protect user accounts from attacks. Anti-Spam - Google reCAPTCHA to protect users from spam. IP Restriction - Restrict IPs or IP ranges to prevent invalid login attacks. Rename or Change Login Page URL - Rename the default WordPress login URL (slug) to something different from the original wp-login.php or wp-admin to prevent automated brute force attacks. Display Remaining Attempts on Login Page - It will provide an option to notify users of their remaining attempts on the login page. Spam Protection - Provides spam protection and disables/blocks IP addresses after a certain number of attempts. Disable XML-RPC - Option to simply disable XML-RPC in WordPress. Most WordPress users do not need XML-RPC and can disable it to prevent automated brute force attacks. Inactive User Logout - Automatically logs out if the user does not perform any action within a specified time. Admin Email Alerts - Notifies users of IP blocking and unusual activity on accounts via email alerts.Download LinkLimit Login Attempts also has a Pro version:Brute Force Login Security, Spam Protection & Limit Login Attempts

WPS Limit Login

  WPS Limit Login is a full-featured brute force login protection plugin for WordPress. By default, WordPress allows unlimited login attempts, which makes brute force attacks somewhat easy. WPS Limit Login is here to save your website. It limits the number of possible connection attempts via the login page and using authentication cookies. 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-forced relatively easily. WPS Limit Login limits login attempts and blocks further attempts from an Internet address after reaching a specified limit, making brute force attacks difficult or impossible.Features: Limit the number of retry attempts during login (for each IP). This is fully customizable. Limit login attempts using authorization cookies in the same way. Notify users of remaining attempts or lockout time on the login page. Logging and optional email notifications. Manage servers behind reverse proxies. Can whitelist/blacklist IP addresses. Compatible with Sucuri website firewall. XMLRPC gateway protection. Woocommerce protection for login pages. Multisite compatible with other MU settings.Download Link

Jetpack

Jetpack, provided by WordPress.com, offers a comprehensive solution (do not use on domestic servers as you cannot access it) that protects your WordPress website from bots and malware attempting to crack weak login passwords. It is known as the largest plugin in the field of brute force protection. This plugin also assists with spam filtering and downtime monitoring. Most importantly, you can scan for malware and log changes to the site. The number of blocked spam comments or malicious attacks on your website will be stored in the „Brute force attack and malware protection - On-demand backup and restore settings" page. In addition to brute force protection, Jetpack also supports site performance and management. It involves image optimization, mobile-responsive design, and advanced website statistics and analytics features to understand your audience.Advantages

• Offers numerous features beyond security, including performance optimization and site management
• Provides two-factor authentication (2FA)

Disadvantages

• Requires upgrade to use advanced features
• Not usable for domestic users

Download Link

Brute Force Login Protection

Similar to other login attempt limiting plugins, Brute Force Login Protection blocks automated scripts and bad actors from repeatedly entering usernames and passwords into your WordPress login page. This plugin is installed on over 20,000 sites and has a 4.1-star rating, clearly addressing the issue. It requires almost no configuration to work, and you can view the list of blocked IPs from the „Settings“ page or manually block IPs, and it supports IP whitelisting. Similar to Limit Login Attempts Reloaded, this plugin allows you to delay login after failed attempts, helping to slow down brute force attacks. Between two failed login attempts, users have a short interval of 5 to 10 minutes. If your admin IP address is blocked, you need to edit the .htaccess file (if you have FTP access - File Transfer Protocol access) and delete the „deny from abcd“ line (abcd is your own IP address) to log into your website. What if you don„t have FTP access? You can only access the admin panel through another IP address and then remove it from the “Blocked IPs„ list.Advantages

• Slows down brute force attacks
• Sends email to admin when temporarily banning IP addresses
• Easy to Use

Disadvantages

• The plugin has only been tested up to WordPress version 2.7.0
• The latest update was 2 years ago, which may pose security risks to the website
• (This plugin has been updated)

Download Link  

Botnet Attack Blocker

Bonet Attack Blocker takes another approach to keep WordPress websites safe from brute force attackers and cybercrime. From the plugin developer's perspective, IP address and location blocking are not efficient enough to keep bots out. For example, by using 1,000 computers to simultaneously enter login information, with 5 login attempts accepted per device before being locked out, a person could try up to 5,000 different passwords. To avoid this limitation, Bonet Attack Blocker essentially ignores differences in IP addresses. After seeing 5 unsuccessful attempts (by default) within a specific time, it blocks all admin login attempts. However, the way the plugin operates may cause some issues. After a total of 5 consecutive failed attempts, Bonet Attack Blocker blocks all admin login attempts from different IP addresses. As a result, this may mislead many users who do not intend to hack the website.Advantages

• Allows partial IP addresses
• Adds a key to bypass the lock

Disadvantages

• Easily misidentifies normal login users
• Not updated for 3 years

Download Link

Which Plugin Should You Use?

Having introduced these 9 plugins to enhance WordPress login security, you might be wondering, which plugin should I install? In fact, each plugin can provide login protection functionality; you just need to research which one meets more of your security needs.NaibabijiOther shared WordPress security articles include:

1. Hide WordPress Admin Login URL to Enhance Security with WPS Hide Login
2. Implement security measures to prevent WordPress websites from being hacked
3. Plugin for recording WordPress user login history: User Login History
4. 4 WordPress Officially Recommended Malware Scanning Plugins