Jake

SpotBot was created for the purpose of controlling spam before it clutters up your server. Gone are the days of constant comments about Gucci bags in broken English. SpotBot not only stops spam from comments, but also stops bots from creating fake accounts or even logging in, but the fun doesn’t stop there! A custom action has been built in so you can add it into any template to stop access to that page!
<h4>So how does it work?</h4>
Every task that starts or ends in WordPress starts with an action! SpotBot utilizes these actions, to gain control over who has access to your site! But how can it tell who’s bad and who’s good? SpotBot uses a service from BotScout to determine who the baddies are. They have allowed public access to their database through an API that SpotBot utilizes. This API access is limited though, and only allows around 300 queries to it in any 24-hour period. You could pay BotScout for more access as they’re fairly cheap, but to help them keep their costs down and help you have control over your visitors, all IP’s are logged to your database. Each time a returning IP is found, it checks the cache first and if nothing is found checks BotScout for more information. It’s as simple as that, SpotBot can be a set-it-and-forget-it plugin, but it can be more than that. Have a problem with a particular user that keeps making user accounts? Flag them as a bot! The harder they try, the more flags they generate and the higher they go on the bot score! SpotBot comes with a built in search function to make finding those troublesome bots easier than ever. Don’t want to save the IP in a list of trouble makers? Make a note of them in each IPs note section for easy searching. Can only remember the first 3 digits of the IP address? Search for it!

SpotBot

SpotBot aids in controlling spam before it clutters up your server. It stops bots in their tracks before they have a chance to post or force post.

Jeff Starr

Julio Potier

wp-website-mastery

John H

Aldo Latino

<blockquote>
🔥 Install, activate, and done! 
 🔥 Powerful protection from WP’s fastest firewall plugin.
</blockquote>
<a href="https://perishablepress.com/block-bad-queries/" rel="nofollow ugc">BBQ Firewall</a> is a lightweight, blazing-fast firewall plugin that protects your site against a wide range of threats. BBQ checks all incoming traffic and quietly blocks bad requests containing nasty stuff like <code>eval(</code>, <code>base64_</code>, and excessively long request-strings. This is a simple yet solid solution for sites that are unable to use a <a href="https://perishablepress.com/8g-firewall/" rel="nofollow ugc">strong Apache/.htaccess firewall</a>.
<blockquote>
🔥 Adds a strong firewall to ANY WordPress site 
 🔥 Works with all WordPress plugins and themes
</blockquote>
Powerful Protection
BBQ protects your site against many threats:
<ul>
<li>SQL injection attacks</li>
<li>Executable file uploads</li>
<li>Directory traversal attacks</li>
<li>Unsafe character requests</li>
<li>Excessively long requests</li>
<li>PHP remote/file execution</li>
<li>XSS, XXE, and related attacks</li>
<li>Protects against bad bots</li>
<li>Protects against bad referrers</li>
<li>Protects against bad POST content</li>
<li>Protects against many other bad requests</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
🔥 Works great with <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/blackhole-bad-bots/" rel="ugc">Blackhole for Bad Bots</a> and <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/banhammer/" rel="ugc">Banhammer</a>
</blockquote>
Awesome Features
BBQ provides all the best firewall features:
<ul>
<li>Rated <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/block-bad-queries/#reviews" rel="ugc">5 stars</a> at WordPress.org</li>
<li>100% plug-&-play, zero configuration</li>
<li>100% focused on security and performance</li>
<li>Blocks a wide range of malicious URL requests</li>
<li>Fastest Web Application Firewall (WAF) for WordPress</li>
<li>Based on the <a href="https://perishablepress.com/7g-firewall/" rel="nofollow ugc">7G</a>/<a href="https://perishablepress.com/8g-firewall/" rel="nofollow ugc">8G Firewall</a></li>
<li>Scans all incoming traffic and blocks bad requests</li>
<li>Scans all types of requests: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.</li>
<li>Protects against known bad bots and referrers</li>
<li>Works silently behind the scenes to protect your site</li>
<li>Hassle-free security plugin that’s easy to use</li>
<li>Thoroughly tested, error-free performance</li>
<li>Extremely low rate of false positives</li>
<li>Compatible with other security plugins</li>
<li>Regularly updated and “future proof”</li>
<li>Firewall < 10 kilobytes in size</li>
<li>Lightweight, fast and flexible</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
🔥 For advanced protection and features, check out <a href="https://plugin-planet.com/bbq-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">BBQ Pro »</a>
</blockquote>
Exclusive Pro Version Features
<ul>
<li>Customize firewall via plugin settings</li>
<li>Easily add or remove firewall patterns</li>
<li>Easily add Jeff Starr’s <a href="https://perishablepress.com/ultimate-ai-block-list/" rel="nofollow ugc">AI Block List</a></li>
<li>Send Email Alerts for blocked requests</li>
<li>Quickly enable/disable firewall rules</li>
<li>Disable firewall for logged-in users</li>
<li>Block excessively long URI requests</li>
<li>Protect against XML-RPC exploits</li>
<li>Block any individual IP address</li>
<li>Block entire ranges of IP addresses</li>
<li>Protect against user-ID phishing</li>
<li>Redirect all blocked requests</li>
<li>Display a custom “blocked” message</li>
<li>Set your own response status code</li>
<li>Complete inline documentation</li>
<li>Statistics for blocked requests</li>
<li>Tools to reset options and patterns</li>
<li>Import and Export firewall patterns</li>
<li>One-click pattern testing</li>
<li>Whitelist IP addresses</li>
</ul>
..plus everything the free version can do and more.
<blockquote>
🔥 Learn more and <a href="https://plugin-planet.com/bbq-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">get BBQ Pro »</a>
</blockquote>
Privacy
This plugin does not collect or store any user data. It does not set any cookies, and it does not connect to any third-party locations. Thus, this plugin does not affect user privacy in any way.
BBQ Firewall is developed and maintained by <a href="https://x.com/perishable" rel="nofollow ugc">Jeff Starr</a>, 15-year <a href="https://plugin-planet.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">WordPress developer</a> and <a href="https://books.perishablepress.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">book author</a>.
<blockquote>
🔥 BBQ = Block Bad Queries
</blockquote>
Support development
I develop and maintain this free plugin with love for the WordPress community. To show support, you can <a href="https://monzillamedia.com/donate.html" rel="nofollow ugc">make a donation</a> or purchase one of my books:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://wp-tao.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">The Tao of WordPress</a></li>
<li><a href="https://digwp.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">Digging into WordPress</a></li>
<li><a href="https://htaccessbook.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">.htaccess made easy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://wp-tao.com/wordpress-themes-book/" rel="nofollow ugc">WordPress Themes In Depth</a></li>
<li><a href="https://books.perishablepress.com/downloads/wizards-collection-sql-recipes-wordpress/" rel="nofollow ugc">Wizard’s SQL Recipes for WordPress</a></li>
</ul>
And/or purchase one of my premium WordPress plugins:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/bbq-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">BBQ Pro</a> – Blazing fast WordPress firewall</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Blackhole Pro</a> – Automatically block bad bots</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/banhammer-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Banhammer Pro</a> – Monitor traffic and ban the bad guys</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/ga-google-analytics-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">GA Google Analytics Pro</a> – Connect WordPress to Google Analytics</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/head-meta-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Head Meta Pro</a> – Ultimate Meta Tags for WordPress</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/simple-ajax-chat-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Simple Ajax Chat Pro</a> – Unlimited chat rooms</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/usp-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">USP Pro</a> – Unlimited front-end forms</li>
</ul>
Links, tweets and likes also appreciated. Thank you! 🙂

BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security


I have made a living as a WP developer for close to 20 years and have almost seen it all during that time.  I manage a lot of sites for myself and for clients.  This is one of the most useful plugins that I have come across in the security space.



I liked it so much, I sprung for the Pro version which adds a few extra features.



Certainly, you could get by with .htaccess rules (either yourself, or with what Jeff provides), but this makes it much easier to implement.  I really have made use of the adding custom patterns feature, and the tracking of blocked attempts shows that this is very effective.



It's a simple plugin, really, which is what I like most.  As a WP developer, I could have written my own, but for what Jeff charges for the Pro version, it makes more sense to just buy his.



For the clown who rated it 1 star - that guy didn't really have a clue what he was talking about, and appeared to be someone who thinks he knows what he's talking about but doesn't - that's the most dangerous kind of administrator.  Seriously, this is exactly what a WAF is and is supposed to be, and it works great for what it is.  



Yes, there are other means of intrusion, and this plugin doesn't address those - it's not a "end-all-be-all" which is what I like about it.  Those plugins that try to do it all usually end up being complex, bloated, intrusive, and an all-around a pain to work with.  Instead, Jeff has produced a plugin that does one thing and does it perfectly with clean code and very light overhead.


Great lightweight security


After discovering this plugin, I use it all the time for smaller projects and sometimes for larger projects - doesn't seem to add too much overhead but gives great piece of mind. 


Great plugin - very handy.


BBQ is a lightweight plugin, install it and forget it!


Great plugin and fast support

The fastest firewall plugin for WordPress. Protect against a wide range of threats with minimal performance impact.

SpotBot vs BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security