WordPress Security Scanners to Detect Your Site’s Vulnerabilities

Nobody doubts that website security is one of the biggest priorities for every business today. We hope that your site is OKAY and you never faced the risk of malware attacks from hackers. Still, even the most advanced website should feature malware scanners and functionality that lets you detect security risks and protect your site on the highest level. If you run a WordPress-based website, the following collection of WordPress security scanners will come in handy for you. 

What is a WordPress Security Scan?

By means of the WordPress security scan, you can check the files of your site and detect malicious or potentially dangerous code that was placed on those files by hackers. Depending on the WordPress security scanner that you choose, you can also get suggestions on the potential security vulnerabilities on your site, including weak or outdated passwords, old files, plugins that haven’t been updated for a while, etc. You can also get recommendations on how to fix them to make your site a safer place. 

A profound and thorough WordPress security check will scan the WordPress core, the theme that your website uses, all installed plugins, dangerous code, and security vulnerabilities. 

Reasons to Use WordPress Security Scanners 

Frequent security checks should be the top priority for any online presence. A successful security attack can result in a true disaster for your site. Hackers can get access to the sensitive data of your site and the personal details of your clients (in case you run a WooCommerce store). New technologies are constantly introduced on the web, which can also improve your site’s functionality and help you avoid potential malware attacks.

You can take the proper actions to block attacks without using WordPress security scanners. However, even the most advanced measures to block attacks don’t guarantee that an attack will get unnoticed and it won’t continue adding more damage to your site. That’s why a security scan is a sure-fire method to keep your site’s files protected and your site’s visitors less vulnerable to potential security threats. 

You can check all files on your site by yourself, but it will take a lot of time. There is also a risk that you can damage some files accidentally in the process. To clean up your site and keep it always tidy, you need the help of WordPress security scanners. 

How to Scan Your WordPress Site for Malware

As with most features in WordPress, you will need a WordPress security plugin in order to scan. But not every plugin will work. You need a reputable and properly maintained one as new vulnerabilities are constantly emerging requiring competent developers to fix.

Even with the right plugin, a security scan is not a one-time shot. To be effective, they need to be done regularly. According to web hosting provider Bluehost, you should scan your site for problems at least once a month, and the crawl frequency will increase depending on the popularity and visibility of your site, as well as what content you store online. It is also recommended that you scan after updates to the WordPress core or any of your plugins.

Best WordPress Security Scanners 

With the help of WordPress security scanners, you can not only check your website for malware and get warnings about the possible security risks and security gaps on your website. While adding the respective plugin to your site, you can get suggestions on the weak points of your site, including malicious code, suspicious scripts, suspicious links, unnecessary redirects, hacks, and points that you should correct to prevent security attacks in the future.

Let’s consider some of the most popular WordPress security scanners for your site. It is always useful to check your site with the tool that features the needed functionality that perfectly matches your business needs, without installing a bunch of additional plugins.

Wordfence

Pricing: a free version of the plugin is available; the cost of the premium version starts at $99/year. 

It’s one of the most popular and reputable WordPress security scanners. It features a free version, which includes a malware scanner that checks security vulnerabilities on your site and lets you get rid of malicious code, spam, and injections. The plugin also lets you take advantage of using a powerful firewall, login protection measures, and website monitoring tools.

The plugin will come in handy for those users who manage 2 or more websites. Thanks to the free “Wordfence Central” feature, you can control the security of all websites using the Wordfence plugin.

Main features:

• Leaked password protection;
• View activity on your site in real-time, including traffic not shown by Google Analytics and other Javascript loggers;
• Block entire malicious networks and any human or robot activity that indicates suspicious intentions;
• Two-factor authentication;
• Block malicious activity that originates from a geographic region.

Quttera

Pricing: free

If you are looking for a more useful online vulnerability scanner for WordPress, you should consider using Quttera. It performs a deep test on your site while scanning your website for malware, trojans, backdoors, worms, viruses, shells, spyware, and other threats as well as JavaScript code obfuscation, exploits, malicious iframes, malicious code injection, malicious code obfuscation, auto-generated malicious content, redirects, hidden eval code and more. Quttera also checks your domain against blacklists, including Google Safe Browsing. The detailed report is divided into several sections, and you can click on each item to view the verification status.

Main features: 

• Unknown Malware Detection;
• External Links Detection;
• Blacklist Status;
• Artificial Intelligence Scan Engine;
• Cloud Technology;
• Detailed Investigation Report;
• Investigation of WordPress files;
• Detection of files infected by PHP malware and injected PHP shells.

Bulletproof Security

Pricing: a free version of the plugin is available; the premium version for a one-time payment costs $69.95. 

You will be surprised to see how many features the free version of the plugin includes. If you are seeking a free WordPress extension that lets you keep your WordPress website protected while running malware scanning, login protection, and monitoring, maintenance mode, update reminders, and error logging, the free version of the Bulletproof Security WordPress plugin should be a perfect choice for you. The professional version basically doubles the number of features available. 

Main features:

• Setup Wizard AutoFix;
• MScan Malware Scanner;
• .htaccess Website Security Protection;
• Hidden Plugin Folders|Files Cron;
• Login Security & Monitoring;
• Idle Session Logout;
• Auth Cookie Expiration, and more.

All In One WP Security & Firewall 

Pricing: free

It’s one of the most advanced WordPress security scanners that you may feel free to add to your site at no cost at all. It features a usable and friendly interface that lets you run malware scanning, use firewall features with adjustable filtering levels, login protection, close user monitoring, automatic and manual database backups, and many more features. 

Main features:

• User accounts security;
• User login security;
• User registration security;
• File system security;
• Blacklist functionality;
• Firewall functionality; 
• Brute force login attack prevention, etc. 

Shield Security

Pricing: a free version of the plugin is available; the cost of the pro version starts at only $1/mo. 

Although the plugin is a newcomer to the community of the best WordPress security scanners, it has already gained the name of one of the top-trending solutions to keep your site protected. The plugin offers 2 basic website protection strategies, the first one is aimed to protect your website against attacks, whereas the second one will repair hacks anytime those happen on your site. 

The plugin is easy to handle even by those users who have never handled WordPress security by themselves. Thanks to the Wizards instructions, beginners can follow step-by-step instructions on how to use the plugin to its full potential. While adding Shield Security to your site, you can take advantage of using a website firewall, file scanners, and even other advanced features like Google reCaptcha and comment spam blocking. While opting for a premium version, you get access to such extra features as a vulnerability scan for plugins and themes and a scanner to detect a breach.

Main features:

• Includes user-friendly interface and learning functions for beginners;
• Limit login attempts to prevent brute-force attacks;
• Two-factor authentication and reCaptcha protection for password protection;
• Built-in site firewall;
• Scanning and detecting malicious files;
• Check plugin and themes for vulnerabilities;
• Scanning and detection of hacker attacks.

Security Ninja

Pricing: the plugin features a free version; the cost of the premium subscription starts at $49.99/year for 1 website. 

If you are looking for a reliable WordPress security scanner that would run more than 50 different security checks on your site at the same time, Security Ninja should be the best choice for you. Having installed the free version of the plugin on your site, you will get security checks of your login routines, plugins, etc. The pro version will check and compare each of the files in your website versus the files from the official core files. It checks all the files that are on your system and warns you about the files that shouldn’t be there. Once scanned, it presents the results in detail, making it easier to browse the list and identify vulnerabilities.

Main features: 

• A vulnerability scanner warns you of any known vulnerabilities on your website;
• Perform over 50+ security tests with one click;
• Check your site for security vulnerabilities, issues & holes;
• Take preventive measures against attacks;
• Optimize and speed up your database;
• Every test is explained, documented and instructions provided on how to fix problems, and more.

WPScan

Pricing: free

The WPScan WordPress security plugin was launched in 2014. Since then, the dedicated WordPress security specialists have been updating the database of security vulnerabilities on a daily basis, which increases the chances that the plugin will detect the possible threats and risks on your website. There are more than 21,000 security vulnerabilities in the database. After scanning your website’s code, files, plugins, system, and robot.txt files, the plugin presents a comprehensive report with explanations for every element.

Main features: 

• Check for debug.log files;
• Check for wp-config.php backup files;
• Check if XML-RPC is enabled;
• Check for code repository files;
• Check if default secret keys are used;
• Check for exported database files;
• Weak passwords;
• HTTPS enabled.

Wprecon

Pricing: free

Wprecon is a basic WordPress vulnerability scanner that checks if your website needs updates, scans the plugins installed on your site, checks the Google Safe Browsing Index, and many other things. Moreover, the service scans directory indexing, external links, iframes, and JavaScripts. In the end, it provides you with results presented in a comprehensive format, with explanations for each element of your site that was tested.  

Main features:

• Detect how well your website is maintained;
• Discover plugins / themes in use without any invasive security scanning;
• Check Blacklist and Threat Intelligence;
• Check which networks are hosting your site resources;
• Fast Google & Virus Total Malware lookup, etc. 

Jetpack Security

Pricing: a free version of the plugin is available; the cost of premium subscription plans starts at $11.97/mo.

Jetpack is one of the most popular WordPress security scanners that will fit blogs, small and large business sites, and multi-vendor eCommerce sites. More than 5 million websites use Jetpack to scan their security and check performance. It’s really convenient that the plugin provides you with real-time reports. By means of the JetPack plugin, you can improve your website’s SEO and giving your visitors a better experience while making it load faster on different devices and web browsing apps. 

Main features: 

• Real-time backups;
• One-click restore to get your site online with no downtime;
• Activity log;
• Automatic malware scanning to detect security threats in advance;
• Spam protection for contact forms as well as comments on your website;
• Brute force protection;
• Sends you email alerts if your site goes down.

WP Cerber Security

Pricing: a free version of the plugin is available; the premium plan starts at $19.95/month billed annually.

Cerber Security vigorously defends WordPress against hacker attacks, spam, and malware. Blazingly fast and reliable by design. The plugin’s dashboard gives you a high-level look at all the important stuff at your site. Besides, Cerber Security features the Notifications tab to take control of the notifications that you receive. You can even set it up to receive push notifications, which lets you keep a close eye on your site’s stats. With the ​​Traffic Inspector feature, you can take a closer look at every single request on your site.

Main features: 

• Limit and monitor login attempts when logging in by IP address or entire subnet;
• Monitors logins made by login forms, XML-RPC requests or auth cookies;
• Permit or restrict access by IP Access Lists with a single IP, IP range or subnet;
• Create Custom login URL;
• Cerber anti-spam engine for protecting contact and registration forms;
• Automatically detects and moves spam comments to trash or denies them completely.

Bottom Line

Online security is the highest priority for every business that is present on the web. Besides taking care of the vulnerable and sensitive files of your site, it’s vital to keep the personal details of your customers also safe and protected from any kind of security attacks. With the help of WordPress security scanners, you can take better control of your site, detect possible vulnerabilities, and apply quick changes to your site until things get worse. In the list of WordPress plugins listed above, you can come across free and premium solutions that will make your website a safer place on the web. Make use of the industry-leading WordPress security scanners to keep your web project free from any sort of malware.