Description
Security Hardener is inspired by the official WordPress hardening guide (Advanced Administration / Security / Hardening). It uses the platform’s standard functions and does not override core. Applies a prudent set of defenses:
- Security headers:
X-Frame-Options,X-Content-Type-Options,Referrer-Policy,Permissions-Policy,COOP/CORP. - HSTS (optional; HTTPS only).
- Basic nonce-based CSP (optional; requires testing).
- Disable XML-RPC and pingbacks (optional; enabled by default).
- Hide the WordPress version in the
<head>. - Block user enumeration via
/?author=by returning 404. - Generic login errors (prevents information leakage).
- IP-based login rate limiting with transients (configurable threshold and window).
- Restrict the REST API to authenticated users, with a minimal allowlist for oEmbed/index.
⚠️ Important: The restrict REST API option and CSP can affect integrations and plugins. Test it in staging first.
Privacy: the plugin does not send data to external services or create new tables. It only uses transients to count failed login attempts.
Installation
- Go to Plugins > Add New Plugin.
- Search for Security Hardener.
- Install and activate the Security Hardener plugin.
FAQ
-
Does restricting the REST API “block everything”?
-
No. By default it allows the index and the oEmbed namespace for basic compatibility. The rest requires an authenticated user. If you need additional public routes, do not enable the restriction or create specific solutions in your theme/plugin (with their
permission_callback). -
I use a CDN or proxy. What about the IP?
-
By default, rate limiting takes the IP from
REMOTE_ADDR. If you use a trusted proxy (CDN/load balancer), define inwp-config.php:
define(‘WPH_TRUST_PROXY’, true);
With that, the plugin will try to useHTTP_CF_CONNECTING_IPorX-Forwarded-For(first element), validating the IP. -
Which headers does it add exactly?
-
X-Frame-Options: SAMEORIGIN,
X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff,Referrer-Policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin,Permissions-Policy: geolocation=(), microphone=(), camera=(),Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy: same-origin,Cross-Origin-Resource-Policy: same-origin, and optionallyStrict-Transport-SecurityandContent-Security-Policy(with nonce). -
Does the plugin clean up its data upon uninstall?
-
Yes.
uninstall.phpdeletes the main option and the rate-limit transients.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“Security Hardener” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
“Security Hardener” has been translated into 2 locales. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.
Translate “Security Hardener” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
[0.3] – 2025-10-20
- Some corrections.
[0.2] – 2025-10-13
- Some corrections.
[0.1] – 2025-10-04
- Initial release.
