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Security is one of the essential features of any website. Having a secure website cannot be overemphasized. This sense of safety comes with having the right security resources for your site. Today we would be taking a look at an exceptional plugin that deals with security.

Defender is one of the most proactive security plugins in the WordPress arsenal. The defender has responsive features that are not present in other security plugins. The plugin boasts an incredible interface, easy-to-use features, and powerful security options.

Defender is designed by WPMU DEV, a team renowned for excellent WordPress plugins and more. The plugin is intuitive, and it comes with useful tools and features. Defender comes with the WPMU dev subscription model, so you can expect stellar features.

Defender Features

Let’s take a look at some of the features the plugin provides.

Malware Scanning

One key feature of Defender is its malware detective and protective features. Users can scan their entire website. The tool is swift, as well as thorough, and does a fine job of detecting malware on sites.

The plugin lists out any suspicious files and gives users the option of either deleting or ignoring them. The ignore option is helpful if you have custom files as part of your files and you don’t want to lose them.

Defender does a thorough job of scanning all files including plugin files, theme files and core files. This feature is great for protecting the WordPress website from malware.

Firewall

The firewall is another impressive feature of Defender. Offers a tremendous protection layer that secures websites against bots and hackers. Such a level of protection is a must-have for any WordPress website.

Defender offers website protection in the following ways.

Login Protection

This layer of protection makes it difficult for hackers to crack login details and credentials. If a person attempts to login into your website repeatedly, users can limit the number of failed login attempts. It can also help set a lockout period after a specific number of failed attempts.

404 Detection

This security layer monitors IP addresses that might request unavailable pages on the site and lock such IP addresses out. The tool also enables users to create a list of IP addresses allowed and disallowed IP addresses.

IP Banning

This layer of security enables site owners or admins to ban IP addresses from viewing the site forever. IP addresses that are known to cause trouble or IP addresses from specific regions can be banned forever.

Overall, there’s a log section that houses the entire logs of the firewall actions. These logs enable users to see blocked IP, 404 pages and so on. Users can choose the option of deleting logs manually or automatically.

2 Factor Authentication

While two-factor authentication is a given for any security plugin, Defender’s 2FA has an extra set of features.

Admins can enable 2FA for all WP users, mandate that they use 2FA, and set up an email to receive OTP (One Time Password)

Defender works seamlessly with Third-party authentication apps like Authy, and Google Authenticator.

There’s also a phone option that allows users to receive OTP on their mobile devices.

Mask Login Area

One peculiar feature of the Defender is it allows webmasters to mask WordPress login. It works by allowing admins to create custom links for their sites. So rather than use the default login, mysite.com/wp-admin, admins can create custom links.

Simply edit the wp-admin and create any link of your choice. This gives another layer of protection to your site.

Google ReCaptcha

WPMU DEV attached the reCaptcha feature to the plugin. This gives more protection against malware and bots. Defender gives three types of reCaptcha;

V2 Invincible

Recaptcha V3

V2 Checkbox

To use any of the reCaptcha, simply create a key for Google reCaptcha. ReCaptcha can be used in different places such as the Login page, registration page, forget password page, comments and so on. With the help of Defender, admins can reinforce various parts of their website using reCaptcha.

Audit Login

This feature allows admins to track changes when they are made to the site. The audit shows reports of undetectable actions.

Web Application Firewall

A more reinforced firewall option that offers powerful protection against hackers and bots. It does a fine job of filtering requests while securing plugins, themes, and core files.

Blocklist Monitor

Checks if the site is on Google’s blocklist, and sends a notification for the necessary steps to be taken

Defender Price

WPMU Dev has a pricing system that comes with lots of extra treats. There are numerous plugins in the subscription model. The good news is all of these plugins can be used on several sites. There are pricing options for freelancers, agencies, and companies. The best pricing tier is the one with all the plugin features such as Smush, Forminator, and so on. They collectively work to provide speed and security. The benefits of having Defender Pro cannot be ignored.

Conclusion

Defender Pro is an all-inclusive plugin. Nothing beats having an active scanner, Firewall protection, 2FA, and more. Remember the pricing options are not just for Defender Pro alone, but the entire WPMU Dev plugin package. We can honestly say that Defender Pro is one of the best security plugins for WordPress sites. If you want more security features for your WordPress website, then Defender Pro is a must-have. Whatever your WordPress website is about, this plugin is a great addition, and it makes life easy.