Enrico Sorcinelli

JSON REST API and XML-RPC API are powerful ways to remotely interact with WordPress.
If you don’t have external applications that need to communicate with your WordPress instance using JSON REST API or XML-RPC API you should disable access to them for external requests.
In the standard WordPress installation JSON REST API and XML-RPC API are enabled by default. 
In particular the REST API is turned on also for unlogged users. This means that your WordPress instance is potentially leaking data, for example anyone could be able to:
<ul>
<li>copy easily your published contents natively with the REST API (and not with a web crawler);</li>
<li>get the list of all users (with their ID, nickname and name);</li>
<li>retrieve other information that you didn’t want to be public (such as an unlisted published page or a saved media not yet used).</li>
</ul>
Even if you could do the stuff by writing your own code using native filters, this plugin aims to help you to control JSON REST API and XML-RPC API accesses from the administration panel or programmatically by a simple API filter.
<h3>Basic Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Disable REST API interface for unlogged users.</li>
<li>Disable JSONP support on REST API.</li>
<li>Add Basic Authentication to REST API.</li>
<li>Remove REST <code><link></code> tags, REST <code>Link</code> HTTP header and REST Really Simple Discovery (RSD) informations.</li>
<li>Setup trusted users, IP/Networks and endpoints for unlogged users REST requests.</li>
<li>Change REST endpoint prefix.</li>
<li>Disable XML-RPC API interface.</li>
<li>Remove <code><link></code> to the Really Simple Discovery (RDS) informations.</li>
<li>Remove <code>X-Pingback</code> HTTP header.</li>
<li>Setup trusted users, IP/Networks and methods for XML-RPC requests.</li>
<li>Show user’s access informations in users list administration screen.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Usage</h3>
Once the plugin is installed you can control settings in the following ways:
<ul>
<li>Using the Settings->REST XML-RPC Data Checker administration screen.</li>
<li>Programmatically, by using <code>rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_settings</code> filter (see below).</li>
</ul>
<h3>API</h3>
<h4>Hooks</h4>
<code>rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_settings</code>
Filters plugin settings values.
<pre><code>apply_filters( 'rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_settings', array $settings )
</code></pre>
<code>rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_admin_settings</code>
Filter allowing to display or not the plugin settings page in the administration.
<pre><code>apply_filters( 'rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_admin_settings', boolean $display )
</code></pre>
<code>rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_rest_error</code>
Filter JSON REST authentication error after plugin checks.
<pre><code>apply_filters( 'rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_rest_error', WP_Error|boolean $result )
</code></pre>
<code>xmlrpc_before_insert_post</code>
Filter XML-RPC post data to be inserted via XML-RPC before to insert post into database.
<pre><code>apply_filters( 'xmlrpc_before_insert_post', array|IXR_Error $content_struct, WP_User $user )
</code></pre>

REST XML-RPC Data Checker

REST XML-RPC Data Checker allow to check JSON REST and XML-RPC API requests and grant access permissions.

brainvireinfo

You can now disable XML-RPC to avoid Brute force attack for given IPs or can even enable access for some IPs. XML-RPC on WordPress is actually an API that gives developers who build mobile apps, desktop apps and other services, the ability to talk to a WordPress site. The XML-RPC API that WordPress provides gives developers, a way to write applications (for you) that can do many of the things that you can do when logged into WordPress via the web interface.
<h4>Features</h4>
Block XML-RPC by following way.
<ul>
<li>Disable pingback.ping, pingback.extensions.getPingbacks and Unset X-Pingback from HTTP headers, that will block bots to access specified method.</li>
<li>Disable/Block XML-RPC for all users.</li>
</ul>

Manage XML-RPC

Enable/Disable XML-RPC for all or based on IP list, also you can control pingback and Unset X-Pingback from HTTP headers.

REST XML-RPC Data Checker vs Manage XML-RPC