Friday, March 29, 2024

Best WordPress Security Plugins for 2022

How essential is website security nowadays? Extremely essential if you’re hoping to run a successful business, which is why we’ll reveal the top WordPress plugins for security in 2021.

Reasons to Install a WordPress Security Plugin

Before we jump into the list of the top WordPress security plugins, let’s discuss why installing one is your best bet for keeping your site safe. According to research from SiteLock, 12.8 million websites are currently infected with malware, while the average website endures 94 cyberattacks per day.

What can happen if your WordPress website becomes the victim of a successful cyberattack? You could experience the following issues that could negatively impact your business:

  • Hackers could delete all of your website’s content, erasing all of the time and money you’ve invested in putting it together.
  • Private data from your customers and business could be exposed or stolen.
  • Your website’s visitors could get malware on their devices.
  • Your SEO rankings and overall brand could take a significant hit.
  • Fixing all of the issues linked to the cyberattack could be very costly and time-consuming.

2021’s Best WordPress Security Plugins

Now that you see all of the issues that could occur from not having your site adequately secured let’s look at some of the best WordPress security plugins that could protect it.

Wordfence

If you’re looking to increase your website’s security without paying a penny, Wordfence might be just what you need. While the paid version costs $99 per year for a snazzy central dashboard that lets you monitor different sites simultaneously, you can use the basic version at no cost.

Wordfence Security Plugin for WP

Highlights:

  • The free basic version can be installed on multiple websites.
  • Limits failed login attempts to combat brute force attacks.
  • Offers customizable email alerts to let you know when any issues arise.
  • Analyzes attempted hacks in real-time while providing you with essential data bits such as time of the hack, IP address, origin, etc.
  • Instantly alerts you of breached passwords so you can create a new one to minimize damage.

Jetpack

Jetpack is another WordPress security plugin that offers a free version, or you can get the paid Security Daily plan for just under 20 bucks a month.

Jetpack WordPress Security Plugin CMS

Highlights:

  • Offers protection against destructive malware and brute force logins.
  • 1-click restore feature lets you get your site back up and running with ease.
  • Saves any changes to your site via real-time backups.
  • Allows you to pinpoint which person or action broke your site thanks to an activity log.
  • Sends email alerts as soon as your WordPress site is down.
  • Automatically blocks spam in blog comments.
  • Protects your site from security threats via decentralized malware scanning.
  • Automatically updates WordPress plugins.

All In One WP Security & Firewall

You’ll love the fact that this WordPress security plugin is free. It is somewhat basic, however, when compared to other plugins in this list.

WP Security Plugins All In One

Highlights:

  • Monitors user accounts.
  • Makes it easy to generate strong passwords thanks to a password strength tool.
  • Locks down logins after several failed attempts.
  • It lets you quickly see locked-out users so you can unlock them with ease.
  • Offers manual blacklisting of IP addresses.
  • Blocks specific locations with IP filtering.
  • Protects your site via a website-level firewall.
  • Allows you to scan for any malicious patterns.

iThemes Security Pro

Formerly known as Better WP Security, iThemes Security Pro begins its pricing at $80 per year.

iThemes WordPress Security

Highlights:

  • It gives you the power to limit login attempts while also offering robust password enforcement.
  • Malware scanner to detect any vulnerabilities or errors.
  • Sends instant email alerts when possibly malicious file updates occur.
  • Scans plugins.
  • Searches for 404 pages.
  • Provides an extra layer of security with two-factor authentication.
  • It locks out potentially harmful IPs.
  • It lets you schedule WordPress backups.

Sucuri Security

While you can get a taste of Sucuri’s power and features through its free version, you may want to update to the paid $299 per year version if you’re looking for ultimate security for your WordPress site.

Wordpress Security Plugins Sucuri

Highlights:

  • Quick and painless setup through your WordPress dashboard.
  • Malware scanning and removal.
  • Complete site tracking so you can see recent logins, failed login attempts, file changes, etc.
  • Blocks brute force and other malicious attacks thanks to robust firewall protection.
  • Blocks malicious traffic to boost site performance and improve server load time.
  • Protects against all known attacks, such as XSS, SQL injections, and more.
  • Uses proprietary CDN servers to serve static content.
  • Offers DDoS protection via some of its more advanced plans.
  • If your site gets infected with malware, Sucuri will fix the problem at no extra cost.

Again, while Sucuri’s cost may be high, think of the headaches involved with a cyberattack, such as those listed at the beginning of this article. Remember to factor that in when making your final decision on a WordPress security plugin, as you do get what you pay for.

Enrique Corrales
Enrique Corrales
Enrique is a writer who specializes in SEO, social media, and web design content.

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