ALMEFY vs Guard Dog

The Almefy Plugin enables secure 2FA login for your users – without passwords, just by scanning a QR code.​ Welcome to the ALMEFY experience Almefy enables a secure Two-Factor Authentication user experience in one step. No passwords needed, the users just scan to login. Your users just need to scan a QR code on your website with the Almefy App and login through our technology built on Identity Based Encryption (IBE). Almefy is the next generation of logins, taking the burden of secure passwords away from the users by eliminating them completely. We enable a secure, easy and fast Two-Factor Authentication in one step for the convenience of your users. Learn more about the Identity Based Encryption and 2FA and Almefy on our website. The ALMEFY HUB – Where you manage all accesses We offer an easy to manage setup and management of accesses through our ALMEFY HUB. The HUB gives you the possibility to setup new websites, manage admins and users and offers statistics for your reference. It is also the fastest way to get in touch with us in case you have any questions or need support! And here is how you get started with your ALMEFY Plugin: Setup To activate the plugin, please navigate to the Almefy settings in the backend. You will be required to provide a key and a secret to connect to the Almefy servers. To generate your individual key & secret, please contact us at https://almefy.com/contact/. We will send you an email with all instructions how to get access to the ALMEFY HUB where you generate your key & secret in a guided flow through our setup wizard. In the settings of the plugin you can also define a Redirect to after login url. Use a relative url like /profile-page to redirect users to a custom page. Alternatively leave the page blank to redirect users to the WordPress backend. Login To add the login code to your website add the [almefy-login] shortcode to your page. Alternatively you may add it via do_shortcode('[almefy-login]'); to your theme. If you would like to redirect users to the backend when logging in via the WordPress login at /wp-login.php but to a profile page when logging in via the the frontend you have to: – Leave the Redirect to after login empty in the plugin settings – Set the ‘redirect’ variable on the shortcode Example: [almefy-login redirect="/profile"] Device Management The built in device manager is found in the backend Users -> Profile. If you do not want your users to have access to the WordPress backend but let them manage their devices, add the [almefy-devices] shortcode to a custom profile page. Connecting new devices When creating an account, users will receive an email asking them to connect their device. Further devices may be connected in the backend Users -> Profile. To add management options like connecting and removing devices to the frontend of your website, you may include the device connection shortcode to a profile page using [almefy-connect]. Password-free Registration (Optional) You may add password free registration by adding the [almefy-register] shortcode. Disabling require_username will result in users just being prompted for an email address. The button text is customizable by setting the button_text variable. Example: [almefy-register require_username="false" button_text="Sign Up Now!"]; License GNU General Public License v2.0 – GNU Project – Free Software Foundation https://www.gnu.org Contact – Almefy : 2FA Authentication in one step https://almefy.com

Guard Dog is a focused WordPress security plugin for the login door, authentication, sessions, and practical access workflows. With custom login URLs, two-factor authentication, passkeys, CAPTCHA providers, access control, and activity logging, Guard Dog helps site owners tighten the parts of WordPress that get bothered most. Key Features: Custom Login URLs – Hide your wp-admin and wp-login.php from attackers Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) – TOTP-based authentication with recovery codes Social Login (OAuth) – Sign in with Google, Microsoft, or Apple Passkeys – Use device-based biometric authentication like Face ID, Touch ID or Windows Hello Multiple CAPTCHA Providers – Support for Google reCAPTCHA v2/v3, hCaptcha, and Cloudflare Turnstile Login Attempt Limiting – Prevent brute-force attacks with intelligent lockout Access Control – IP-based whitelist/blacklist protection Activity Monitoring – Comprehensive logging of security events Temporary User Access – Create temporary WordPress users with time-limited, secure access Frontend Account Security – Shortcodes and blocks for login, passkeys, 2FA, and session controls Why Choose Guard Dog? Privacy-Focused – Multiple CAPTCHA options including privacy-first providers WordPress.org Compliant – Built following WordPress coding standards Site-Owned Controls – Protections run inside your WordPress site User-Friendly – Intuitive interface with helpful documentation Regular Updates – Actively maintained and updated Perfect For: Business websites requiring enhanced security WordPress sites handling sensitive data Multi-user sites with complex access requirements Anyone wanting practical login and account protection without a central SaaS dependency Frontend Shortcodes: [guard_dog_login_form] renders a public Guard Dog-managed login form [guard_dog_passkey_login] renders a standalone passkey sign-in button for custom login pages [guard_dog_two_factor] renders logged-in 2FA management [guard_dog_passkeys] renders logged-in passkey management [guard_dog_sessions] renders logged-in active-session management [guard_dog_account_security] renders the composite logged-in account security widget for 2FA, passkeys, and sessions [guard_dog_2fa] remains supported as the legacy alias for the account security widget Block-based themes can use the matching Guard Dog Login Form, Passkey Login, Two-Factor Auth, Passkeys, Sessions, and Account Security blocks. Additional Information Support: For support questions, please use the WordPress.org support forums. Privacy: Guard Dog respects user privacy and offers multiple privacy-focused options. Third-party services are only contacted when you enable features that need them, such as CAPTCHA, email delivery, social login, IP reputation, or geolocation. Security: Guard Dog follows WordPress security best practices. User input is sanitized and output is escaped throughout the plugin. Third-Party Services Guard Dog integrates with the following third-party services to provide CAPTCHA protection. These services are optional and only used when CAPTCHA features are enabled. Google reCAPTCHA (v2 and v3) What it is: Google’s CAPTCHA service that helps protect websites from spam and abuse. What it’s used for: – Verifying that login, registration, and password reset attempts are made by humans – Preventing automated bot attacks on your WordPress forms What data is sent and when: – User interaction data (mouse movements, time spent on page) when CAPTCHA is solved – IP address of the user – Site domain for verification – CAPTCHA response token Privacy and Terms: – Google reCAPTCHA Privacy Policy – Google reCAPTCHA Terms of Service – Google reCAPTCHA Data Usage Cloudflare Turnstile What it is: Cloudflare’s privacy-first CAPTCHA alternative that doesn’t require user interaction. What it’s used for: – Invisible verification of human users during login, registration, and password reset – Privacy-focused protection without tracking or cookies What data is sent and when: – Non-interactive browser signals when forms are submitted – IP address for verification – Site domain for validation Privacy and Terms: – Cloudflare Privacy Policy – Cloudflare Terms of Service – Turnstile Documentation hCaptcha What it is: A privacy-focused CAPTCHA service that doesn’t track users across websites. What it’s used for: – Human verification during login, registration, and password reset forms – Privacy-conscious alternative to Google reCAPTCHA What data is sent and when: – User interaction with CAPTCHA challenge – IP address for verification – Site domain for validation Privacy and Terms: – hCaptcha Privacy Policy – hCaptcha Terms of Service – hCaptcha Data Processing Google OAuth (Social Login) What it is: Google’s OAuth 2.0 service that allows users to sign in using their Google account. What it’s used for: – Authenticating WordPress users via their Google account – Retrieving basic profile information (name, email) to link or create accounts What data is sent and when: – User is redirected to Google’s authorization server when clicking “Sign in with Google” – An authorization code is exchanged for an access token on your server – Basic profile information (name, email, Google user ID) is retrieved from Google’s API – No ongoing data sharing – data is only retrieved during the login process Privacy and Terms: – Google OAuth Privacy Policy – Google OAuth Terms of Service – Google API Services User Data Policy Microsoft Azure AD (Social Login) What it is: Microsoft’s OAuth 2.0 service via Azure Active Directory that allows users to sign in using their Microsoft account. What it’s used for: – Authenticating WordPress users via their personal Microsoft account or organizational (work/school) account – Retrieving basic profile information (name, email) to link or create accounts What data is sent and when: – User is redirected to Microsoft’s authorization server when clicking “Sign in with Microsoft” – An authorization code is exchanged for an access token and ID token (JWT) on your server – Basic profile information (name, email, Azure object ID) is extracted from the ID token – No ongoing data sharing – data is only retrieved during the login process Privacy and Terms: – Microsoft Privacy Statement – Microsoft Services Agreement – Microsoft Identity Platform Documentation Apple Sign In (Social Login) What it is: Apple’s OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect service that allows users to sign in using their Apple ID. What it’s used for: – Authenticating WordPress users via their Apple ID – Retrieving basic profile information (name, email) to link or create accounts What data is sent and when: – User is redirected to Apple’s authorization server when clicking “Sign in with Apple” – An authorization code is exchanged for an access token and ID token (JWT) on your server – Basic profile information (email, user ID) is extracted from the ID token – User’s name is only provided on first authorization; subsequent logins return only the user ID – Apple may provide a private relay email address instead of the user’s real email – No ongoing data sharing – data is only retrieved during the login process Privacy and Terms: – Apple Privacy Policy – Sign in with Apple Guidelines – Apple Developer Program License Agreement TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password) Standard What it is: An open standard (RFC 6238) for generating time-based one-time passwords used in two-factor authentication. What it’s used for: – Generating secure, time-limited authentication codes for 2FA – Providing backup authentication when primary 2FA methods are unavailable – Enabling compatibility with popular authenticator apps (Google Authenticator, Authy, Microsoft Authenticator, etc.) What data is sent and when: – No external data transmission – TOTP codes are generated locally using the TOTP algorithm – Secret key generation – A unique secret key is generated locally when 2FA is enabled for a user – QR code generation – QR codes are generated locally for easy setup with authenticator apps – Code verification – Generated codes are verified locally against the stored secret key Privacy and Terms: – RFC 6238 – TOTP Standard – Google Authenticator Privacy Policy (if using Google Authenticator app) – Authy Privacy Policy (if using Authy app) – Microsoft Authenticator Privacy Policy (if using Microsoft Authenticator app) Data Handling Summary When CAPTCHA is disabled: No data is sent to any third-party services. When CAPTCHA is enabled: Only the specific provider you choose receives verification data. Data is not shared between providers or stored by Guard Dog beyond the verification process. When 2FA is disabled: No external data transmission occurs. When 2FA is enabled: – All TOTP operations (code generation, verification) happen locally on your server – No data is transmitted to external services for 2FA functionality – Authenticator apps only receive the initial setup QR code or secret key – Recovery codes are generated locally and stored securely When Social Login is disabled: No data is sent to any OAuth provider. When Social Login is enabled: – Data is only sent to the configured providers (Google, Microsoft, Apple) during the login process – Only basic profile information (name, email, user ID) is retrieved – Social account links are stored locally in your WordPress database – Users can unlink their social accounts from their profile at any time User control: Users can choose which CAPTCHA provider to use, or disable CAPTCHA entirely. 2FA can be enabled/disabled per user, and users can choose their preferred authenticator app. Social login can be enabled/disabled by administrators, and users can manage their linked social accounts. All security features are optional and configurable.