Jetpack includes some important WordPress security features. In this article, we’ll show you where you can access these features in the Jetpack settings, and we’ll also discuss these features in more depth.
How to Enable Security Features
As with the other recommended features, some of the more important security features will already be enabled. But it’s good to know where these features are located and how you can configure them.
- Log into your WordPress Dashboard
- Find Settings under Jetpack
- Click the Security tab at the top of the menu
Here you can read through the various security options and enable and disable as you need them.
Read on to learn more about these features.
Backups and security scanning (Premium)
Backups and security scanning are premium features for which you might want to consider upgrading. Security scanning protects your site from hacking while backups are a necessary part of your site’s disaster recovery plan. (Don’t have a disaster recovery plan?)
Backups
The most valuable lessons in WordPress always begin and end with backups. Make sure you have backups of your site and make sure you have a scheduled backup system in place for the future.
There are competing plugins and options for WordPress backups out there. The convenience of enabling the backup feature through Jetpack is that you won’t need to add another plugin.
Security Scanning
The security scanning feature will perform a regular inspection of your site code. You can also run the scan manually if you are concerned about a possible breach.
The scanners search your site for malicious code that can be used to compromise the site, access your database, or do other mischief you may not be aware of.
Brute force attack protection
Your WordPress login page is a common attack point for hackers. Bots can try out thousands of user/password combinations in seconds. Jetpack provides robust security for the login page, so you can have more peace of mind.
Block suspicious activity
By enabling brute force attack protection, you make it much more difficult for hackers to gain entry into your site’s front door.
Add your IP to whitelist
Jetpack offers an instant whitelist feature by automatically detecting your current IP address and allowing you to add it to a whitelist. If you have a static IP (that is, an IP address that is always the same), and you will only ever need to access the site from the same location, you should add your IP to the whitelist.
WordPress.com log in
WordPress.com log in allows you to opt in for extra verification features offers by WordPress.com. This includes email verification and two-factor authentication. If you are active in the WordPress.com community, you should consider enabling this feature and requiring that other users provide valid WordPress.com credentials should they require access to your site as well.
Final Thoughts
You should now have a better understanding of how these features work and why you should use them. Here are some take-away points to remember.
- Always have backups for your site
- Check your site for malware
- Protect your login page with WordPress.com login
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