ArkHost

<p>A complete security plugin that’s actually free. No “pro” version, no nag screens, no made-up threat statistics.</p>
<h4>Login Protection</h4>
<ul>
<li>Blocks IPs after failed login attempts</li>
<li>Custom login URL (hides wp-login.php)</li>
<li>Hides wp-admin from logged-out users</li>
<li>Honeypot field for bots</li>
<li>Hides login errors (stops username enumeration)</li>
<li>Email alerts for admin logins from new IPs</li>
<li>Country/IP restrictions on login page</li>
</ul>
<h4>IP Control</h4>
<ul>
<li>Whitelist and blacklist</li>
<li>Auto-blacklist after repeated lockouts</li>
<li>IPv4, IPv6, CIDR supported</li>
</ul>
<h4>Geo Blocking</h4>
<ul>
<li>Block countries</li>
<li>Uses free IP2Location LITE database</li>
<li>One-click download</li>
</ul>
<h4>Hardening</h4>
<ul>
<li>Disable XML-RPC</li>
<li>Disable dashboard file editing</li>
<li>Disable application passwords</li>
<li>Restrict REST API to logged-in users</li>
<li>Remove WordPress version</li>
<li>Block user enumeration (?author=1 and REST API)</li>
<li>Disable pingbacks/trackbacks</li>
</ul>
<h4>Security Headers</h4>
<p>X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, X-XSS-Protection, Referrer-Policy, Permissions-Policy, Content-Security-Policy, HSTS</p>
<h4>Two-Factor Authentication</h4>
<ul>
<li>TOTP (Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.)</li>
<li>Backup codes</li>
<li>Enforce for admins</li>
</ul>
<h4>File Integrity Monitoring</h4>
<ul>
<li>Checks WordPress core files against official checksums</li>
<li>Daily scans</li>
<li>Email alerts on changes</li>
</ul>
<h4>Malware Scanner</h4>
<ul>
<li>Scans plugins, themes, uploads</li>
<li>Pattern-based detection</li>
<li>Quarantine suspicious files</li>
<li>Weekly scans</li>
</ul>
<h4>Activity Log</h4>
<ul>
<li>Login attempts, lockouts, blocks</li>
<li>IP, country, username, timestamp</li>
<li>Configurable retention</li>
<li>CSV export</li>
</ul>
<h4>Tools</h4>
<ul>
<li>Export/import settings</li>
<li>Force logout all users</li>
<li>Test email</li>
<li>Delete readme.html/license.txt</li>
</ul>
<h4>Privacy</h4>
<p>No tracking. No analytics. No telemetry.</p>
<p>External connections:<br />
* WordPress.org API (core file checksums)<br />
* IP2Location (database download, only when you click it)</p>
<h3>External services</h3>
<p>This plugin connects to the following external services under specific circumstances:</p>
<h4>WordPress.org Checksums API</h4>
<ul>
<li>Service: api.wordpress.org/core/checksums/1.0/</li>
<li>Used for: Verifying WordPress core file integrity by comparing local files against official checksums</li>
<li>Data sent: WordPress version and locale</li>
<li>When: During daily scheduled file integrity scans and when manually triggered by the admin</li>
<li>Privacy policy: https://wordpress.org/about/privacy/</li>
</ul>
<h4>IP Detection Services</h4>
<ul>
<li>Services: api.ipify.org, ifconfig.me, icanhazip.com</li>
<li>Used for: Detecting the server’s public IP address for the “Whitelist My IP” tool</li>
<li>Data sent: Standard HTTP request (no personal data)</li>
<li>When: Only when an admin uses the “Whitelist My IP” feature in the Tools tab</li>
<li>Terms: https://www.ipify.org/ / https://ifconfig.me/ / https://icanhazip.com/</li>
</ul>
<h4>IP2Location</h4>
<ul>
<li>Service: download.ip2location.com</li>
<li>Used for: Downloading the free IP2Location LITE geolocation database for country-based blocking</li>
<li>Data sent: Standard HTTP request (optional: user’s download token if configured)</li>
<li>When: Only when an admin clicks “Download IP2Location Database” in the IP Control tab</li>
<li>Terms of service: https://www.ip2location.com/terms</li>
<li>Privacy policy: https://www.ip2location.com/privacy</li>
</ul>


ArkHost Security Pack

WordPress security without the nonsense. No upsells, no premium tier, no fake threat counters.

Automattic

Jeremy Herve

Brandon Kraft

leogermani

Brad Jorsch

Eric Binnion

Foteini Giannaropoulou (a11n)

Sami Falah

Renato Augusto Gama dos Santos

njweller

Manzoor Wani

Derek Smart

sermitr

retrofox

miguelxavierpenha

Karen Attfield

arsihasi

Igor Zinovyev

dkmyta

kangzj

siddarthan

Paul Bunkham

<p>Free daily vulnerability scans & WordPress security, powered by WPScan (an Automattic brand) and its 60,000+ vulnerability database. No setup needed!</p>
<h3>TOTAL SITE SECURITY FROM WORDPRESS EXPERTS</h3>
<p>Jetpack Protect is a free and essential WordPress security plugin that scans your site and warns you about vulnerabilities, keeping your site one step ahead of security threats. It’s easy to use; setup requires just a few clicks!</p>
<p>By upgrading Protect, you also unlock malware scanning with one-click fixes for most issues and instant notifications when threats are detected. Our automated Web Application Firewall (WAF) also protects your site from bad actors around the clock.</p>
<p>Jetpack Protect is created by WordPress experts; our parent company Automattic is behind Jetpack, WordPress.com, WooCommerce, WPScan, and much more. There is no better company to understand the security needs of WordPress sites.</p>
<h3>WHAT DOES JETPACK PROTECT (FREE) CHECK FOR?</h3>
<p>Jetpack Protect scans your site on a daily basis and warns you about:<br />
– The version of WordPress installed, and any associated vulnerabilities<br />
– What plugins are installed, and any related vulnerabilities<br />
– What themes are installed, and any associated vulnerabilities</p>
<h4>What are vulnerabilities? Why do I need to scan my site regularly?</h4>
<p>Site vulnerabilities are flaws in a website’s code that weaken the site’s overall security. These can be introduced to a site in various ways, in most cases unintentionally.</p>
<p>Some of the ways vulnerabilities can be introduced to a site are:<br />
– Poorly written site code<br />
– Plugin and theme bugs<br />
– WordPress version bugs<br />
– System misconfigurations</p>
<p>If a bad actor detects a vulnerability on your site, they can exploit it to access sensitive information, update your site, and more to damage your business or brand.</p>
<p>That’s why it’s essential to use a reputable and reliable vulnerability & malware site scanner like Jetpack Protect to safeguard your site.</p>
<h4>Can I use Jetpack Scan to fix a site that is already infected?</h4>
<p>Jetpack Protect (Scan) detects and prevents attacks, but is not designed to fully clean up sites infected before it was active. If your site has malware, take immediate action to clean it up and remove the malicious code.</p>
<p>To clean up your site, we suggest using a malware removal tool, or if possible restore from a backup taken before the infection. We recommend using Jetpack VaultPress Backup in conjunction with Jetpack Scan to secure your website.</p>
<p><a href="https://jetpack.com/support/scan/how-to-clean-your-hacked-wordpress-site/" rel="nofollow ugc">Learn more about cleaning your site</a></p>
<h3>BRUTE FORCE ATTACK PROTECTION</h3>
<p>Jetpack Protect blocks unwanted login attempts from malicious botnets and distributed attacks.</p>
<h4>Is my site under attack?</h4>
<p>Brute force attacks are the most common form of hacking — and hackers don’t discriminate. As the most commonly used Content Management System on the web, WordPress sites make an attractive target for hackers looking to exploit code vulnerabilities unique to WordPress.</p>
<p>Using large networks of computers known as botnets, hackers can try to gain access to your site by using thousands of different combinations of usernames and passwords until they find the right one.</p>
<p>Recently, attackers have found a way to “amplify” these attacks against the WordPress XML-RPC file – making it easier for attackers to try and break into your site.</p>
<p>WordPress brute force attacks can:<br />
– Slow down your site (or cause it to stop responding) because of repeated server requests.<br />
– Allow unauthorized access to your site for hackers to modify your code or insert spammy links.<br />
– Put your site content and data at risk.</p>
<p>That’s where Jetpack Protect comes in. Our state-of-the-art security tools automatically block these attacks, protecting your WordPress site from unauthorized access.</p>
<p>On average, Jetpack blocks 5,193 WordPress brute force attacks over a site’s lifetime. It allows you to protect yourself against both traditional brute force attacks and distributed brute force attacks that use many servers against your site.</p>
<h3>UPGRADE PROTECT TO REMOVE MALWARE IN ONE CLICK AND BE PROTECTED BY OUR WAF</h3>
<p>By upgrading Protect, you unlock total site security from WordPress experts:<br />
– Automated daily malware scanning in addition to vulnerability checks<br />
– One-click fixes for most issues<br />
– Web Application Firewall (WAF) with automatic rule updates<br />
– Instant email notifications when threats are detected<br />
– Priority support from WordPress experts</p>
<h4>What is malware? Why do I need to protect against it?</h4>
<p>Malware is malicious code or software that has been created by bad actors to disrupt, damage, or gain access to your site. There are many ways that malware can get onto your WordPress site. The most common method is through attackers using vulnerable plugins or themes to install malware.</p>
<p>Similar to the vulnerabilities listed above, bad actors can use malware to capture sensitive information, damage your site, and harm your business or brand.</p>
<p>Jetpack Protect instantly notifies you of any threats detected, with one-click fixes for most issues.</p>
<h4>What is a Web Application Firewall (WAF)?</h4>
<p>A web application firewall blocks traffic and malicious requests to your site from known bad actors.</p>
<p>As threats are detected, new rules are added to Jetpack Protect’s firewall, which provides around-the-clock protection for your WordPress site.</p>
<h3>OVER 53,500 REGISTERED VULNERABILITIES IN OUR DATABASE</h3>
<p>WordPress security is something that evolves over time. Jetpack Protect leverages the extensive database of WPScan, an Automattic brand. All vulnerabilities are entered into our database by dedicated WordPress security professionals and updated constantly as new information becomes available.</p>
<h3>JETPACK PROTECT IS EASY TO SETUP AND USE</h3>
<p>There’s nothing to configure – the setup process is as easy as:<br />
1. Install and activate the plugin<br />
2. Set up it with one click.</p>
<p>After you activate the plugin, Jetpack Protect will run daily automatic malware scans on your WordPress site and update you on vulnerabilities associated with your installed plugins, themes, and WordPress core.</p>
<h3>WITH 💚 BY JETPACK</h3>
<p>This is just the start!</p>
<p>We are working hard to bring more features and improvements to Jetpack Protect. Let us know your thoughts and ideas!</p>
<h3>FURTHER READING</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://jetpack.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">Jetpack: Security, performance, and growth tools made for WordPress sites by the WordPress experts.</a></li>
<li>You can follow the <a href="https://twitter.com/jetpack?lang=en" rel="nofollow ugc">Jetpack Twitter</a> account to catch up on our latest WordPress security recommendations and updates.</li>
<li><a href="https://jetpack.com/blog/category/security/page/3/" rel="nofollow ugc">WordPress Security: How to Protect Your Site From Hackers</a></li>
<li><a href="https://jetpack.com/blog/should-you-use-jetpack-for-wordpress-security/" rel="nofollow ugc">Should You Use Jetpack for WordPress Security?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://jetpack.com/blog/jetpack-acquires-wordpress-vulnerability-database-wpscan/#more-139339" rel="nofollow ugc">Jetpack Acquires WordPress Vulnerability Database WPScan</a></li>
</ul>


Jetpack Protect

Unlike many bloated security plugins, this plugin seems to have all the necessary core features, without any BS.

It's a positive development that Jetpack is splitting all the many features into their own plugins so you can pick and choose what features you need.

The only downside I've noticed is that the plugin doesn't work if your site is hosted in a local development environment.

Good


powerful tool to make your website a live



Much like how operating systems needed to eventually offer & maintain their own anti-malware programs (not offload it to a 3rd party program or even make people pay for something essential like security monitoring & scanning), WordPress finds itself in a similar position to help make sure users of its software are safe (or at least can know something was found to then act on it.)



This is a great direction to see WordPress going in as a primary/official offering for WordPress.



I do with it was more clear what is & isn't in the free offering from Jetpack Protect compared to Jetpack Scan (ideally then making the essentials in the free offering [a-la Windows Security], while I do understand stuff that can't be done on the site itself potentially having a cost associated with it [not exactly sure what those items would be... automated scans, email notifications, one-click cleanup/actions, etc. should all be doable on the site itself without getting a remote service involved [updating what to look for then being intermittent enough to ideally not be too demanding while that does have some resource requirements... is it then just more frequent checks for those details, priority support, etc...?])


A fundamental feature

Free daily vulnerability scans & WordPress security, powered by WPScan (an Automattic brand) and its 60,000+ vulnerability database. No setup needed!

ArkHost Security Pack vs Jetpack Protect