More than 2.6 million of the top 10 million websites on the web are powered by WordPress, so it’s no wonder that hackers take an interest. WordPress does a good job of issuing patches and monitoring vulnerabilities, but with so many third-party themes and plugins out there, your website may still be at risk. Here are five of the best WordPress security plugins to protect your online assets.

 

All in One WP Security & Firewall

All in One WP Security and Firewall is packed with advanced security features and functionality. Protect your assets with Lockdown Login capabilities utilizing features that enable you to determine how many login attempts a user can make before being locked out and which IP addresses are blocked (and for how long). An easy-to-use website security grading tool lets you see at a glance how secure your site is, and the plugin provides tips and recommendations for strengthening your defense.

This plugin also detects accounts with identical login and display names (doubled-up identities make getting into your data 50 percent easier for hackers since they don’t have to invest time figuring out the username).

Rated 4.8 out of 5 by WordPress users.

iThemes Security

With more than thirty ways to boost security after you build your WordPress website, iThemes Security offers dozens of features you can use to keep would-be invaders off your site and out of your business. For advanced protection, consider iTheme Pro which comes with two-factor authentication, automated daily malware scanning, and a dashboard widget to help you manage user banning and system scans directly from your WordPress dashboard. And you can sync your first ten sites for free. It’s easy to use, easy to manage, and easy on your budget.

Rated 4.7 out of 5 by WordPress users.

WordFence

WordPress websites experience almost 10,000 attack attempts every minute. Whether you choose the free version or opt to pay $5 for a premium download, you can have confidence that WordFenceis always on top of your risks and vulnerabilities. The plugin comes with functionality that enables you to view crawlers in real time; scan your core, theme, and plugin files; customize blocking protocol; and so much more.

After you install the plugin, review this checklist to make sure you are doing everything you can to strengthen website security and keep bots and evil doers from sneaking in the backdoor.

Rated 4.9 out of 5 by WordPress users.

Block Bad Queries (BBQ)

Plug-n-play functionality in a simple, no-configuration-required package is something every website manager can appreciate. Protect your site against dangerous URL requests with BBQ, which monitors for malicious code and blocks bad requests. This plugin also works with standalone script (PHP-powered sites). BBQ is based on 5G/6G blacklist. Speaking of blacklisting, the 6G Firewall Update from Perishable is available.

Rated 5 out of 5 by WordPress users.

WordPress File Monitor Plus

When you want to monitor everything that happens in your files, WordPress File Monitor Plus will alert you every time anything changes. While most users appreciate the granularity, some caution that since files may have hundreds of changes every day, the updates can be overwhelming. To get the most benefit from this plugin, you’ll have to take the time to monitor file changes religiously to differentiate the “normal” changes from the “dangerous” ones.

Rated 4.8 out of 5 by WordPress users.

Make Security a Priority Throughout Your Organization

Though there are dozens of plugins to make your WordPress site more secure, the five listed above receive at least 4.7 out of 5 stars from users and come recommended by WordPress as tools to strengthen security and protect your assets.

And remember, you can build the best website in the world, but if you aren’t partnering with a reliable web hosting company that takes security as seriously as you do, you are putting yourself at risk.