BaseCloud

BaseCloud Shield is a lightweight yet powerful security plugin that enforces Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on your WordPress login page. Unlike other bloat-heavy plugins, BaseCloud Shield focuses on reliability and flexibility in OTP delivery.
Key Features:
<ul>
<li>Plug & Play: Works immediately using standard WordPress email delivery.</li>
<li>Multi-Recipient System: Send OTPs to the logging-in user, a manager email, or selected users.</li>
<li>Multi-Channel Delivery: Choose multiple delivery methods simultaneously (Email, SendGrid, WhatsApp, SMS, Webhook).</li>
<li>WhatsApp Integration: Send OTPs directly via WhatsApp using Twilio API.</li>
<li>SMS Integration: Deliver OTPs via SMS using Twilio API.</li>
<li>SendGrid API V3: Native integration for high-deliverability emails.</li>
<li>Webhook Support: Connect to custom webhooks for advanced automation flows.</li>
<li>Secure OTPs: 6-digit one-time passwords that expire automatically.</li>
<li>Browser Trust: “Remember this device” functionality to reduce friction for authorized users.</li>
<li>Advanced Attack Protection (v1.4.2): Credential stuffing detection, progressive delays, username enumeration protection.</li>
</ul>
<h3>External Services</h3>
This plugin may connect to external third-party services depending on your configuration. Below is a detailed explanation of what services are used, what data is sent, and when:
SendGrid Email API (Optional)
If you select “SendGrid API” as your delivery method in the plugin settings, this plugin will send data to SendGrid’s email service to deliver one-time password (OTP) codes.
<ul>
<li>Service: SendGrid by Twilio</li>
<li>What it’s used for: Sending two-factor authentication codes via email with improved deliverability</li>
<li>When data is sent: Every time a user attempts to log in and 2FA is enabled</li>
<li>Data sent:
<ul>
<li>Recipient email address (user’s email or manager email if configured)</li>
<li>Sender email address (configured in plugin settings)</li>
<li>Site name</li>
<li>Username attempting to log in</li>
<li>6-digit one-time password code</li>
<li>Email subject and HTML body</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>API Endpoint: https://api.sendgrid.com/v3/mail/send</li>
<li>Terms of Service: https://www.twilio.com/legal/tos</li>
<li>Privacy Policy: https://www.twilio.com/legal/privacy</li>
</ul>
Important: You must have a SendGrid account and API key to use this feature. You are responsible for complying with SendGrid’s terms of service and ensuring proper data handling practices.
Twilio API for WhatsApp & SMS (Optional)
If you select “WhatsApp” or “SMS” as delivery methods, the plugin will send data to Twilio’s API to deliver one-time password codes.
<ul>
<li>Service: Twilio</li>
<li>What it’s used for: Sending two-factor authentication codes via WhatsApp and/or SMS</li>
<li>When data is sent: Every time a user attempts to log in and 2FA is enabled with WhatsApp/SMS selected</li>
<li>Data sent:
<ul>
<li>Recipient phone number (from user meta field ‘billing_phone’)</li>
<li>Sender phone number (WhatsApp number or SMS number configured in settings)</li>
<li>Site name</li>
<li>Username attempting to log in</li>
<li>6-digit one-time password code</li>
<li>Message body</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>API Endpoint: https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/{AccountSid}/Messages.json</li>
<li>Terms of Service: https://www.twilio.com/legal/tos</li>
<li>Privacy Policy: https://www.twilio.com/legal/privacy</li>
</ul>
Important: You must have a Twilio account with WhatsApp and/or SMS capabilities enabled. Phone numbers must be stored in user meta (field: ‘billing_phone’). You are responsible for complying with Twilio’s terms of service.
Custom Webhook (Optional)
If you select “Webhook” as a delivery method, the plugin will send login notification data to a webhook URL you configure.
<ul>
<li>Service: Custom webhook endpoint (configured by you)</li>
<li>What it’s used for: Sending login notifications to external systems for custom processing</li>
<li>When data is sent: Every time a user attempts to log in and 2FA is enabled</li>
<li>Data sent:
<ul>
<li>Site name</li>
<li>Username attempting to log in</li>
<li>User email address</li>
<li>6-digit one-time password code</li>
<li>Recipient information array</li>
<li>Timestamp of login attempt</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Endpoint: User-configured webhook URL</li>
</ul>
Important: When using the webhook option, you are responsible for the security and privacy compliance of the endpoint you configure. Ensure your webhook endpoint uses HTTPS and follows proper data protection practices.
Standard WordPress Email (Default)
By default, this plugin uses WordPress’s built-in <code>wp_mail()</code> function, which does not involve any external services unless your WordPress installation is configured to use a third-party SMTP service.

BaseCloud Shield

Enterprise-grade Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) with support for Email, SendGrid API, Webhooks, WhatsApp, and SMS delivery.

Duo Security

The Duo Universal plugin protects against account takeover by augmenting WordPress logins with multi-factor authentication. Adding Duo is easy and can be done in just a few minutes!
By leveraging Duo’s Universal Prompt, authentications can now use passkeys, biometrics and hardware tokens in addition to phone-based authentication methods. This keeps accounts secure if an attacker learns a user’s login credentials and provides flexible authentication options.
Duo is easy to set up and use. With Duo there’s no extra hardware or complicated software to install, just sign up for Duo’s service and install the plugin. Then you can set which user roles you want to enable multi-factor authentication for admins, editors, authors, contributors, and/or subscribers without setting up user accounts, directory synchronization, servers, or hardware. Users can enroll in Duo authentication and add MFA devices to their accounts as they log into the site.
This plugin reaches out to Duo’s MFA cloud service for the configured user roles which provides an additional layer of authentication. 
For more information about Duo’s privacy policy see https://duo.com/legal/cisco-online-privacy-statement 
Duo’s terms of service can be found here https://duo.com/legal/terms 
Terms of support using Duo’s cloud service are provided here https://duo.com/support
Support for Duo users without a subscription is provided on a best-effort basis via email.

Duo Universal

Easily add Duo authentication to your WordPress website. Enable multi-factor authentication for your admins and/or users.

BaseCloud Shield vs Duo Universal