Shield Security
Independent WordPress security: block bots, find malware, protect logins, and back up your site
About Shield Security
Shield Security is a WordPress security plugin that combines a firewall, silentCAPTCHA bot blocking, malware and vulnerability scanning, login protection, and an activity log. The free version covers core hardening and bot protection, and the paid ShieldPRO Plus plan adds AI-based malware detection, ShieldBACKUPS restore points, passkeys, and multi-site management tools. It runs inside WordPress itself, so there is no DNS or proxy change to set up.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Generous free version on WordPress.org with firewall, bot blocking, core file scanning, vulnerability scanning, and 2FA
- silentCAPTCHA blocks bots without showing puzzles to real visitors
- Plus bundles malware scanning, backups, and passkeys in one plugin, so you can drop separate backup and security tools
- Highly rated: 4.8/5 from over 1,000 reviews on WordPress.org
- Support comes directly from the developers, which reviewers frequently praise
- Volume site packs bring the per-site price down sharply for agencies
Cons
- WordPress only; no coverage for other CMSs or non-WordPress sites
- Paid plans bill annually per site pack, and the entry Plus plan costs $149/year for a single site
- Runs inside WordPress, so it adds load to your server and offers no edge/CDN-level DDoS filtering like cloud WAFs
- Enterprise/Agencies tier is still marked coming soon
- Some users report that major updates change settings or add configuration work
Key Features
WordPress firewall
Inspects incoming requests with firewall rules tuned for WordPress and blocks XML-RPC and REST API abuse.
silentCAPTCHA bot blocking
Detects and blocks bots on logins, comments, and forms without showing puzzles to human visitors, while recognizing legitimate crawlers.
IP reputation blocking
Blocks known bad actors automatically using daily-updated IP blocklists and reputation scoring, with CrowdSec intelligence on Plus.
MAL{ai} malware detection
AI-based scanner on paid plans that flags obfuscated and previously unseen malicious code as files change.
Core file scanning and repair
Checks WordPress core file integrity, finds suspicious files, and can repair or remove unrecognized files automatically.
Vulnerability scanner and auto-updates
Flags plugins and themes with known vulnerabilities and can apply updates as soon as a fix ships.
Login protection and 2FA
Email and authenticator-app two-factor authentication, brute-force protection, password policies, and session locking; Plus adds passkeys and hardware keys.
ShieldBACKUPS
Off-site backups with 7-day plus 12-week retention on Plus so you can roll a site back to a clean restore point.
Activity log and traffic rate limiting
Records user and site activity for auditing and slows abusive traffic before it overwhelms the site.
Multi-site management
Site-to-site AutoSync pushes security settings across sites, with MainWP integration and white-label controls for agencies.
Pricing
- Firewall rules and XML-RPC/REST API protection
- silentCAPTCHA bot, comment, and form spam protection
- Daily-updated IP blocklists
- WordPress core file scanning
- Vulnerability scanner for plugins and themes
- Email and authenticator 2FA
- Password policies and activity log
- Everything in Free, for 1 site (3, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100-site packs available; 5 sites $299/year, 25 sites $699/year)
- AI-powered MAL{ai} malware detection
- ShieldBACKUPS with 7-day plus 12-week retention
- Advanced 2FA with passkeys and hardware keys
- Traffic rate limiting and CrowdSec intelligence
- Premium plugin and theme checks
- Site-to-site AutoSync, MainWP integration, and white label
- Money-back guarantee
- Everything in Plus, starting at 1 site ($399/year for 5 sites)
- More frequent backups
- Extended backup retention
- Portfolio controls and custom extensions (coming soon)
- Listed as coming soon on the pricing page
Best For
Hardening a small business site
Install the free plugin to add a firewall, bot blocking, core file checks, and 2FA to a brochure or blog site at no cost.
Protecting a WooCommerce store
Use Plus to block card-testing bots and fake registrations, scan for malware, and keep restorable backups of a revenue-critical store.
Securing membership sites
Enforce password policies, passkeys, and session controls so stolen credentials don't lead to account takeover.
Agencies managing client sites
Push one security configuration across many client sites with AutoSync, manage them through MainWP, and white-label the plugin.
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