Description
WP Ghost (formerly known as Hide My WP Ghost) is a professional-grade, comprehensive hack-prevention security solution for WordPress. Built for speed and engineered for maximum defense, WP Ghost provides a multi-layered security architecture designed to block hacker bots, neutralize automated scanners, and stop the hack before the reconnaissance even begins.
While traditional security tools focus on Detection (scanning for malware after a breach) or Signature-Filtering (blocking known exploits), WP Ghost focuses on Architecture. By implementing Paths Security and Site Hardening, we remove the digital footprints that make your site a target for automated botnets, providing a proactive foundation that secures your site before it can even be identified as a target.
WP Ghost Global Stats:
- 10 Million+ Monthly Brute-Force Attempts Blocked
- 100 Million+ Monthly Security Threats Prevented
Official websites:
WP Ghost (wpghost.com)
Hide My WP Ghost (hidemywpghost.com)
Stop Attacks with Paths Security & Architectural Hardening
Most WordPress attacks are automated. Bots scan millions of sites per hour looking for default paths like /wp-admin or /wp-login.php to confirm a site is running WordPress. Once confirmed, they launch targeted exploits against known plugin or theme vulnerabilities.
WP Ghost breaks this cycle. By changing and securing common paths, you reduce your attack surface by up to 90%. This isn’t “obscurity”, it’s Site Hardening. We re-engineer the visible structure of your site so it is no longer a low-hanging fruit for global botnets.
Key Protections Included
WP Ghost is packed with advanced defensive mechanisms to protect your site against:
- Brute Force Attacks: Blocks automated password guessing at the source.
- SQL Injection & XSS: Neutralizes malicious query strings and script injections.
- Zero-Day Exploits: Secures paths for plugins before patches are even released.
- XML-RPC & REST API Attacks: Shuts down common remote-access entry points.
- Bot Reconnaissance: Prevents “fingerprinting” that hackers use to map your site.
- Spam & Scrapers: Filters malicious traffic, saving bandwidth and server load.
Over 115 Free Security Features Included
We believe professional security should be accessible to everyone. The free version of WP Ghost includes a massive suite of tools to harden your WordPress architecture.
1. Change and Secure Paths (Paths Security)
- Change wp-admin & wp-login.php: Move your login to a unique URL and show a 404 error to intruders.
- Change Lost Password & Register URLs: Secure all authentication entry points.
- Change wp-content & wp-includes: Secure your core system folders from direct access.
- Anonymize Plugins & Themes: Change visible plugin/theme paths so hackers can’t identify your software version.
- Secure admin-ajax.php & REST API: Change the /wp-json path to prevent data scraping.
- Security Presets: One-click activation with three preset levels — from minimal to full protection with Firewall, Brute Force, Logs, and 2FA.
- Frontend Test: Verify your site loads correctly after changing paths before confirming settings.
- Custom Redirects: Set unique login/logout redirects based on user roles.
- Login Page Designer: Customize your secured login page with your logo, colors, background, and 10 color schemes.
2. Next-Gen Firewall & Authentication
- 8G & 7G Firewall Filters: High-speed, lightweight server-edge filtering to block bad bots.
- Passkey Authentication (Passwordless 2FA): Use Face ID, Touch ID, or Windows Hello for un-phishable, device-based logins.
- Standard 2FA (Code & Email): Add an extra verification layer to all user accounts.
- Security Headers: Automatically implement CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and more.
- IP & User Agent Blocking: Manually blacklist suspicious traffic or referrers.
- Security Threats Log: Track blocked attacks and malicious requests directly in your dashboard (limited view).
- User Events Log: Monitor login activity, role changes, and user actions (limited view).
- GEO Threats Map: Visualize where attacks originate with an interactive world map showing the top 5 threat countries.
- Security Optimization Score: Real-time 0-100 score showing exactly how hardened your site is, with actionable recommendations.
- Temporary Logins: Create time-limited access links for developers and clients without sharing passwords.
3. Deep Hiding & Footprint Removal
- Scrub Meta Tags: Remove WordPress version numbers and generator tags.
- Clean HTML Comments: Strip identifiable comments that reveal your tech stack.
- Hide Admin Toolbar: Remove the toolbar for specific roles to hide backend indicators.
- Disable Emoticons & RSD: Remove unnecessary header links that bloat code and reveal info.
4. Advanced Disable Options
- Disable XML-RPC: Shut down the most common vector for DDoS and brute force.
- Disable REST API Access: Restrict API access to authenticated users only.
- Frontend Lockdown: Disable right-click, “View Source,” and text selection to prevent manual reconnaissance.
- Disable Directory Browsing: Ensure your server folders are never visible to the public.
5. Brute Force Protection
- Integrated ReCaptcha: Supports Google V2, V3, Enterprise, and Math ReCaptcha.
- Targeted Protection: Enable brute force defense on Login, Signup, and WooCommerce pages.
- Custom Throttling: Define your own lockout times and attempt limits.
6. Extra Tools & Integrations
- Magic Links: Log in securely without a password via a one-time email link.
- Text & URL Mapping: Change any class name or URL in your source code dynamically.
- CDN & Cache Support: Works perfectly with WP Rocket, Cloudflare, and Litespeed.
Premium Hack-Prevention Features
For agencies and high-traffic sites, WP Ghost Premium adds advanced features focused on Security Intelligence, Automated Response, and Copyright Protection.
- Ghost Mode: Maximum security preset, changes all paths, hides all file extensions, and enables all hiding options in one click.
- IP Block Automation: Automatically block IP addresses that trigger repeated security threats.
- AI Copyright Protection: Block 30+ AI training crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, and others) at the firewall level. List auto-updated with each release. Does not affect Google, Bing, or regular search visibility.
- Full Security Threats Log: Unlimited entries with filters by threat type, status, country, and time range, full-text search, pagination, and CSV export.
- Full User Events Log: Unlimited entries with filters, search, pagination, and CSV export.
- Cloud Event Storage: 30-day cloud retention for audits and incident reports.
- Real-time Email Alerts: Get notified instantly of brute-force attempts or suspicious activity.
- Geo-Security (Country Blocking): Block entire countries or specific paths by country.
- Advanced File Hardening: Hide file extensions (PHP, CSS, JS, JSON), secure wp-config.php, php.ini, and debug.log.
- Database & Server Hardening: Fix file permissions, change database prefix, regenerate SALT keys.
- Priority Support: Direct access to our security experts and founder-led assistance.
Technical Compatibility
WP Ghost is engineered for the modern WordPress ecosystem:
- Hosting Support: Optimized for WP Engine, Inmotion Hosting, Hostgator Hosting, Godaddy Hosting, Host1plus, Payperhost, Fastcomet, Dreamhost, Bitnami Apache, Bitnami Nginx, Google Cloud Hosting, Amazon AWS Lightsail, Litespeed Hosting, Flywheels Hosting, Kinsta Hosting, Ploi.io, CloudPanel, RunCloud, Rocket Domain, Yunohost.
- Server Support: Fully compatible with Nginx, Apache, LiteSpeed, and IIS.
- Plugin Support: Seamless integration with Woocommerce, WPML, WPMUDEV, W3 Total Cache, Gravity, WP Super Cache, WP Fastest Cache, Hummingbird Cache, Cachify Cache, Litespeed Cache, SiteGround Optimizer, Nitropack, Cache Enabler, CDN Enabler, WOT Cache, Autoptimize, Jetpack by WordPress, Contact Form 7, bbPress, Manage WP, All In One SEO, Rank Math, Yoast SEO, Squirrly SEO, WP-Rocket, Minify HTML, Solid Security, Sucuri Security, Really Simple SSL, WordFence Security, WP Cerber Security, BBQ Firewall, Anti-Malware Security, Back-Up WordPress, Elementor Page Builder, Divi Builder, Weglot Translate, AddToAny Share Btn, Limit Login Attempts Reloaded, Loginizer, Shield Security, Asset CleanUp, WP Hide & Security Enhancer, and more.
Stop the hack before it starts. Join over 100,000 users who trust WP Ghost to secure their digital presence.
Screenshots
Installation
From your WordPress Dashboard
Step 1. Navigate to Plugins > Add New. Step 2. Search for “WP Ghost”. Step 3. Click Install Now and then Activate. Step 4. Go to the WP Ghost menu in your sidebar. Step 5. Enter your email address to receive your instant Free Access Token. Step 6. Follow the built-in Setup Wizard to begin hardening your paths.
Manual Installation
Step 1. Download the hide-my-wp.zip file from the WordPress repository or your WP Ghost account. Step 2. Log in to your WordPress dashboard as an Administrator. Step 3. Navigate to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin. Step 4. Select the .zip file and click Install Now. Step 5. Click Activate Plugin. Step 6. Connect the plugin with your email address to activate your security features.
Resources & Guides
For advanced server configurations or detailed walkthroughs, please visit our comprehensive documentation: How to Install and Setup WP Ghost
FAQ
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Does WP Ghost physically move or rename my WordPress files?
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No. WP Ghost utilizes high-performance server rewrite rules (Nginx, Apache, IIS) to change the visible paths in your source code. Your actual WordPress files and directories remain exactly where they are, ensuring zero risk to your site’s stability and core updates.
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Is WP Ghost a complete standalone solution?
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For the vast majority of WordPress sites, Yes. By combining Architectural Hardening with an 8G Firewall and Automated IP Blocking, WP Ghost neutralizes the automated reconnaissance and brute-force attempts that account for over 90% of real-world attacks. It provides a foundational defense that is often statistically sufficient on its own, while remaining fully compatible with “Defense in Depth” strategies involving malware scanners or file-integrity monitors.
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Is it compatible with other WordPress security plugins?
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Yes! WP Ghost is designed as your “Outer Perimeter” defense. It works perfectly alongside malware scanners and reactive security tools like Wordfence, Sucuri, or Solid Security. By implementing Paths Security first, WP Ghost stops bots before they even get close enough to be scanned by other plugins.
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Will changing my paths affect my SEO or Google rankings?
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Not at all. WP Ghost handles Sitemap.xml and Robots.txt mapping automatically. This ensures that Google and other search engines can still index your content perfectly, while malicious bots receive a 404 error when attempting to probe your system paths.
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What is the difference between Paths Security and “Security through Obscurity”?
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Obscurity is simply hiding a key under a mat. Paths Security is an architectural hardening strategy—like moving the door to a secure, unique location and changing the lock. It is a recognized technical hardening standard used by enterprise-grade sites to prevent Bot Reconnaissance.
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Does WP Ghost work on WP Multisite and different server types?
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Yes. The plugin is fully compatible with WP Multisite (Network-wide configuration) and supports Apache, Nginx, IIS, and LiteSpeed servers.
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How do I configure WP Ghost on an Nginx Server?
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WP Ghost fully supports Nginx. Because Nginx does not use .htaccess, you will be guided to add the generated rewrite rules to your nginx.conf file manually. We provide specific tutorials for Kinsta, RunCloud, CloudPanel, CWP7, AAPanel, and Ploi.io.
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My theme is not loading correctly after changing paths. What should I do?
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This usually happens if the server rewrite rules are not yet active.
- Purge Cache: Clear your WordPress cache and any server-side caching (Varnish, Nginx FastCGI).
- Manual Rewrites: If your server config file is not writable, copy the rules from WP Ghost and add them manually to your .htaccess or nginx.conf.
- Restart Nginx: If on Nginx, you must reload/restart the service after saving settings.
- Free Support: If the issue persists, contact us and we will set up the plugin for you for free.
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I am locked out or forgot my custom login URL. How do I get back in?
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- Safe URL: Use the “Safe URL” text file that was automatically generated and downloaded when you saved your settings.
- Manual Reset: Access your server via FTP/SFTP and rename the folder /wp-content/plugins/hide-my-wp to something else. This temporarily disables the path changes so you can login via the default wp-login.php.
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Does WP Ghost work for WordPress.com websites?
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Due to the restricted infrastructure of WordPress.com managed hosting, changes to the administrative and login paths are not allowed. However, you can still use WP Ghost for Site Hardening, the 8G Firewall, Passkey Authentication, and other Hack Prevention features.
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Is the WP Ghost plugin free of charge?
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Yes. The Lite version of WP Ghost will always be free and includes essential WordPress Security updates. To unlock advanced features like IP Block Automation, Geo-Security, and Cloud Monitoring, you can upgrade to WP Ghost Premium.
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How can I hide my site from WordPress Theme Detectors?
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By using Paths Security to change common directories (plugins, themes, wp-content), you effectively neutralize most automated detectors. For a deep-dive on total anonymity, read our guide: How to Hide Your Site From WordPress Theme Detectors.
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Is this plugin enough to protect my website from all hackers?
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WP Ghost provides an elite proactive defense by neutralizing the Reconnaissance phase of an attack. While the Free version blocks the vast majority of bot traffic, we recommend the Premium version for advanced Brute Force Protection and Automated Threat Intelligence.
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How do I change the WordPress paths in the Admin Dashboard area?
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By default, WP Ghost only changes paths on the frontend to ensure maximum compatibility. To harden the admin dashboard as well, add
define('HMW_ALWAYS_CHANGE_PATHS', true);to your wp-config.php file and re-save your settings. -
Does WP Ghost include a security score?
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Yes. WP Ghost 7.0 includes a Security Optimization Score from 0 to 100 that shows exactly how hardened your site is. The score updates automatically as you enable features and complete security tasks. It appears on the Overview dashboard and the Security Check page as both a visual gauge and a numeric value.
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Can I customize the WordPress login page with WP Ghost?
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Yes. WP Ghost includes a Login Page Designer that lets you add your custom logo, background image, and brand colors to your secured login page. It includes 12 layout presets and 10 color scheme presets. The designer works with your custom login URL, so your branded page is served at your hidden path instead of the default wp-login.php.
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Does WP Ghost protect my content from AI training bots?
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WP Ghost Premium includes an AI Copyright Protection feature that blocks 30+ AI training crawlers including GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, CCBot, and Bytespider at the firewall level. It also adds Disallow rules to your robots.txt automatically. This protects your copyrighted content from being used for AI model training without affecting your regular Google, Bing, or Yahoo search visibility. The crawler list is automatically updated with each plugin release.
Reviews
Contributors & Developers
“WP Ghost (Hide My WP Ghost) – Security & Firewall” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors“WP Ghost (Hide My WP Ghost) – Security & Firewall” has been translated into 4 locales. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.
Translate “WP Ghost (Hide My WP Ghost) – Security & Firewall” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
7.0.03 (02 June 2026)
- Fix – WPML/Polylang with a custom or renamed REST API path: WPML Advanced Translation Editor and other REST API calls no longer fail with a network error in the admin
- Fix – REST API requests made through the ?rest_route= form are no longer mistakenly treated as normal page requests and blocked
- Fix – Renamed REST API path: legacy, cached and external clients still calling the default wp-json path are now recognized correctly instead of being 404’d
- Fix – Compatibility module for WPML: the Advanced Translation Editor sync routes and WPML/ICL admin-ajax requests are no longer rewritten with the active language prefix
- Fix – Some sites could show a blank page when source code optimization was enabled; the header/tag find & replace is now fail-safe and never blanks the output on a regex error
- Fix – Prefetch/speculation rules cleanup now removes the wp-admin and wp-*.php entries without leaving the rules JSON invalid
- Security – Hardened REST API detection: the firewall can no longer be bypassed by appending /wp-json/ (or ?rest_route=) to the query string of another request
- Security – Brute force protection also covers REST API Application Password authentication
- Security – Fixed unauthenticated Open Redirect via the
redirect_toparameter on the custom logout URL.
7.0.02 (11 May 2026)
- Fix – Compatibility with WPML and Polylang: static asset URLs (wp-content, wp-includes) no longer get the language prefix prepended (e.g. /en/wp-content/…) when “Change Relative URLs to Absolute URLs” is enabled
- Fix – Password-protected pages (built-in WordPress post password) now submit correctly on Nginx and other servers without server-level rewrites when the login URL is customized
- Fix – Refreshed knowledge base links across admin notices to point to the new documentation
- Fix – Minor bugs and typos
7.0.01 (15 April 2026)
- Update – Added the option to roll back to the last stable version in the Backup/Restore page
- Fix – Corrected the colors in the dark mode style
- Fix – Rewrite rules not correctly displayed in the notification bar when rules must be added manually to the server config
- Fix – Typos and minor bugs
7.0.00 (31 March 2026)
Major Release: Security Score, Login Page Designer, Passkey 2FA, Security Threats Log, User Events Log, GEO Threats Map, and expanded 7G/8G Firewall rules. Free update for all users.
- New – Security Optimization Score (0-100) with dynamic gauge on the Overview dashboard and Security Check page
- New – Security Threats Log to track blocked attacks and malicious requests (limited view)
- New – User Events Log to track login activity and user changes (limited view)
- New – GEO Threats Map with top 5 threat countries on the Overview dashboard
- New – Country filter in Security Threats Log and User Events Log
- New – Login Page Designer with custom logo, background image, colors, and color scheme presets
- New – Security Presets for one-click activation: Minimal, Lite Mode + Firewall + Compatibility, and Lite Mode + Firewall + Brute Force + Logs + Two Factor
- New – Contextual upgrade suggestions based on your site’s actual threat data
- New – Two-Factor Authentication by Passkey (Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello)
- New – Each user can select their preferred 2FA method from their profile
- New – Trust current browser option for 2FA, skip verification on trusted devices
- New – Hide WordPress Common Files (wp-config.php, readme.html, license.txt, php.ini)
- New – Hide WordPress Common Paths with file extension filtering (html, txt, lock)
- New – Hide User Enumeration to block author discovery scans
- New – Dark mode support (browser-based)
- New – Translation in Indonesian (id_ID) language
- New – Translation in Turkish (tr_TR) language
Firewall & Security Updates:
- Update – Expanded 7G & 8G Firewall rules to block SQL injection, XSS, file inclusion, directory traversal, and automated vulnerability scans
- Update – Firewall rules optimized for reduced overhead under high attack traffic
- Update – Improved threat detection to stop malicious requests before WordPress core execution
- Update – Security Headers updated with latest best practices
- Update – Notification on Overview to activate 7G/8G Firewall when unblocked threats are detected
Compatibility:
- Update – Compatibility with WordPress 7.0 and PHP 8.5
- Update – Compatibility with WooCommerce 10.6
- Update – Compatibility with Elementor, Bricks Builder, Blocksy, Nicepage, Avada, and Riode themes
- Update – Compatibility with WP Rocket, LiteSpeed, Nitropack, SiteGround Optimizer, and Cloudflare
- Update – Compatibility with Wordfence, Sucuri, and Solid Security
- Update – Compatibility with WP Engine, Kinsta, CloudPanel, Ploi.io, and IIS servers
- Update – Compatibility with WPML and Polylang for multilingual Brute Force, 2FA, and Magic Login texts
- Update – Translations updated in all 14 supported languages
UI & Experience:
- Update – Redesigned Overview dashboard with Security Optimization Score, threat chart, and GEO map
- Update – Improved Security Check page with numeric score and actionable task list
- Update – Reorganized Logs section into Security Threats and User Events
- Update – Improved activation flow with clearer setup wizard
- Update – Translations updated in all 16 supported languages: Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese (Simplified), Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and English (default).
- Fix – Dropdown and Help icon in the RTL languages
5.5.04 (26 Mar 2026)
- Update – Firewall rules on WP core init
- Update – Added compatibility with Photo Gallery from 10Web
- Fix – Security Check to properly update the options and handle
- Fix – Small bugs
5.5.02 (10 Feb 2026)
- Fix – Compatibility with IIS Server
- Fix – Compatibility with LiteSpeed Quic Cloud
5.5.01 (22 Dec 2025)
- Update – Added the option to hide WordPress Common Paths with extension html, txt, lock
- Update – Added the option to hide WordPress Common Files like wp-config, readme.html, license.html, php.ini
- Update – Added the option to Hide Source Map References
- Update – Added the option to Hide User Enumeration
5.4.08 (09 Dec 2025)
- Update – Compatibility with WP 6.9
- Fix – Remove the wp-*.php and admin path from prefetch paths in WP 6.9
- Update – 2FA to allow each user to select the 2FA method in the profile
- Update – 2FA to connect through passkey and fingerprint
- Update – 2FA to trust the current browser
5.4.07 (29 Sept 2025)
- Update – Compatibility with the plugin WP Social & WP Social PRO
- Update – Compatibility with LiteSpeed Quic Cloud on IPV6
- Update – Make REST API test work when permalinks are set to the default PHP parameter
- Update – Minimum PHP version required is 8.0 in the Security Check section
- Update – Added New Feature Two-factor Authentication By Passkey (2FA)
- Update – Whitelist more known AI Chatbots in firewall rules
5.4.06 (21 Aug 2025)
- Update – Firewall rules for more compatibility
- Update – Safe URL verification process
- Update – Compatibility with the plugin Debloat
5.4.05 (27 May 2025)
- Update – Add AI support in the plugin settings
- Update – 7G & 8G Firewall for more compatibility with WP Plugins
- Update – Compatibility with Riode theme on Brute Force
- Fix – Compatibility WooCommerce login/register with reCaptcha V3
- Fix – Update check error
5.4.04 (21 Mar 2025)
- Update – Compatibility with the WP 6.8
- Fixed – Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly
5.4.03 (11 Mar 2025)
- Update – Compatibility with the new WP Engine rewrite rules
- Update – Add the option to customize all active and inactive themes
- Fix – File security when the rewrite rules are not loaded correctly
- Fix – Prevent Brute Force from updating the warning text without space when switched off
- Fix – Prevent PHP warning when IP address unknown in Brute Force IP check
- Fix – Load i18n on login page for password-strength-meter messages when the Clean Login option is activated
- Fix – File security when the rewrite rules are not loaded correctly
- Fix – Dynamic file mapping to load through index.php for better compatibility with all server types
5.4.02 (04 Mar 2025)
- Update – Security update on wp-activate.php path call
- Update – Translations in all languages for the last changes
- Update – the Brute Force to load Google Enterprise reCaptcha
- Update – Brute Force compatibility with other plugins
- Fix – Headers check on Brute Force to get the real IP behind Proxy
- Fix – Include parent theme in the custom theme name list if the child theme is loaded
- Fix – Admin layout issue when other plugins notification is loading in Wp Ghost settings
- Fix – Prevent redirecting URLs to hidden paths like new admin path or new login path
- Fix – Paths changed in cache files when CSS and JS files are loaded dynamically
- Fix – Hide the new login on registration redirect when the registration is deactivated
- Fix – Remove newlines from the rewrite rules
Security:
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WordPress Firewall Plugin
Ocultar Mi WP – Plugin de seguridad de WordPress
Ocultar meu WP – Segurança do WordPress
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Meta
- Version 7.0.03
- Last updated 6 days ago
- Active installations 100,000+
- WordPress version 5.8 or higher
- Tested up to 7.0
- PHP version 7.4 or higher
- Languages
- Tags
- Advanced View