WordFence and Cerber Tips for Securing WordPress

Security is not a single event it’s a process that needs to be reviewed regularly, keep all core WordPress updates, theme and plugins up to date

Use a reputable host that separates web hosting accounts.

Get plugins and themes from a reputable source

Passwords need to be complex, lowercase, uppercase, numbers and symbols.  Use unique passwords across all systems. 1Password.com is a recommended password manager.  Use two-factor authentication.

Delete all unused account

Rename default accounts, eg remove admin.  Or use admin as bait and apply an instant block to that IP.

Keep backups, for example using updraft plus, rolling segregated backups.

Use auto-updates where possible so security patches are done automatically.

From Cerber How to protect WordPress effectively: a must-do list

---

A must-do list to get high-security and durable protection for your website.

To get the most out of Cerber’s security algorithms, your should configure all the settings below. Do this thoughtfully because some settings may conflict with another plugin or your web server settings. In case of any problem, check the Activity log for related events such as denied requests or blocked IP addresses.

1. Check the main settings

1. Set “Load security engine” to “Standard mode”
2. Configure “Custom login URL” and turn on “Disable wp-login.php”
3. Enable “Immediately block IP when attempting to log in with a non-existing username”
4. Enable “Disable dashboard redirection”
5. Enable “Immediately block IP after any request to wp-login.php”

2. Activate security policies on the Hardening tab

The minimal set of the settings you have to enable in the Hardening WordPress section:

1. “Stop user enumeration”
2. “Block execution of PHP scripts in the WordPress media folder”
3. “Disable XML-RPC”
4. “Disable PHP error displaying”

The following settings are recommended to be enabled in the Access to WordPress REST API section:

1. “Stop user enumeration / Block access to user data via REST API”
2. “Disable REST API”
3. “Allow REST API for logged in users”

Read more: Restrict access to REST API

3. Enable the Traffic Inspector firewall settings

1. Set “Enable traffic inspection” to “Maximum security”
2. Set “Enable error shielding” to “Maximum security”

4. Enable scheduled malware scans and automatic malware removal

On the Settings tab, the following settings should be enabled

1. “Scan temporary directory”
2. “Scan session directory”

On the Cleaning up tab:

1. You have to enable: “Delete unattended files”, “Recover WordPress files”, “Recover plugins files”
2. All checkbox in the “Files in the uploads folder” settings should be checked

5. Enable anti-spam protection even if you think you don’t need it

On the Antispam engine tab, we advise you to enable the following settings:

1. “Comment form (Protect comment form with bot detection engine)”
2. “Registration form (Protect registration form with bot detection engine)”
3. “Other forms (Protect all forms on the website with bot detection engine)”

6. Use GEO rules: block countries you’re not going to have a deal with

On the Security Rules admin page, configure GEO policies for countries that are permitted to interact with your website: submitting forms, being able to log in or register, etc. These settings do not prevent search engines from indexing the website.

7. Rename the plugins folder

Changing the name of the plugins folder is one of the most underestimated ways that make your WordPress protection stronger. And yet it’s free and easy.

Read more: How to rename the WordPress plugins folder

8. Enable Two-Factor Authentication

To protect user acccounts enable two-factor authentication. It provides an additional layer of security requiring a second factor of identification beyond just a username and password.

Read more: How to enable two-factor authentication for WordPress