gpaterno

A lot of web sites, even well known ones (newspapers, telcos, …) adopts 
WordPress as their CMS. WordPress is a great platform, however it 
can happen that password leaking or guessing might lead to unauthorized 
access to the platform. A potential attacker can be therefore able to 
change articles, part of the web site and/or make the website unavailable, 
with image and economic damages for a company or for a blogger. 
This is even more true if your website is not SSL protected.
SecurePass is a SaaS service offering an easy and affordable solution 
for One Time Passwords (OTP) and strong authentication in general. They 
offer 5 users for free included with their standard (=basic) account, which 
is more than enough for standard blogs and web sites. Companies can purchase 
additional users, if needed.
More information on the section “Setup and configure SecurePass” in Other Notes. 
To open a SecurePass account go to http://www.secure-pass.net/open
<h3>Setup and configure SecurePass</h3>
If you don’t own already an account with SecurePass, you can sign-up for a new account here: http://www.secure-pass.net/open
Note: Use “misec2011” as promo code, it will give you an entitlement for using 
SecurePass up to 10 users for 2 years free-of-charge. Without any promo code, 
you will have 5 users for 20 years for free. It depends on what you need (more users or more years).
Connect to the admin interface on https://admin.secure-pass.net 
and create a new device (basically a RADIUS client).
In the admin interface, go to the “Device” section and add a new device. 
You will need to set the public IP Address of the server, a fully qualified 
domain name (FQDN), and the secret password for the radius authentication. 
It’s ok if your web server is behind a firewall and/or NAT, ensure that 
your server has rights to send (and receive) RADIUS authentication requests, 
i.e. UDP port 1812.
<h3>Further reading</h3>
<ul>
<li>
This plugin web site: 
https://github.com/gpaterno/wp-securepass/
</li>
<li>
SecurePass web site: 
http://www.secure-pass.net/
</li>
<li>
UK on-line shop for SecurePass (they sell hardware tokens): 
http://shop.nervinesecurity.com/
</li>
</ul>

SecurePass authentication

This is a plugin to autheticate users through the SecurePass One Time Passwords service.

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.

SecurePass authentication vs BaseCloud Shield