Atomic Edge Security – Firewall, Malware Scan and Login Security vs Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL)

Atomic Edge Security is a WordPress firewall plugin that protects your site with cloud-based WAF rules, malware scanning, 2FA, vulnerability checks, IP blocking, and real-time security logs. It blocks malicious traffic before it reaches WordPress while giving site owners firewall controls directly inside the WordPress admin. WordPress Firewall Protection Atomic Edge includes a cloud-based WordPress firewall that helps block malicious traffic before it reaches your website. The firewall protects against common attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), local file inclusion, remote file inclusion, brute-force login attempts, and suspicious bot activity. Web Application Firewall (WAF) The Atomic Edge WAF uses OWASP Core Rules and WordPress-specific security rules to protect high-risk areas such as wp-login.php, wp-admin, XML-RPC, REST API endpoints, vulnerable plugin paths, and common exploit patterns. Features Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) – Protect WordPress logins with TOTP authenticator apps (Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.) 2FA Enforcement Policies – Require 2FA for specific user roles with configurable grace periods 2FA Audit Logging – Complete security audit trail for all 2FA events Adaptive Defense – AI-powered threat detection that automatically identifies and blocks malicious actors Web Application Firewall (WAF) – Block SQL injection, XSS, and other attacks with OWASP Core Rules Content Delivery Network (CDN) – Serve static assets from global edge servers for faster page loads Real-time Analytics – Monitor traffic, blocked threats, and security events in real-time IP Access Control – Easily whitelist or blacklist IP addresses and CIDR ranges Geographic Blocking – Block or allow access based on visitor country Malware Scanner – Scan WordPress files for modifications and suspicious code patterns Vulnerability Scanner – Check WordPress core, plugins, and themes for known vulnerabilities (requires Atomic Edge connection) WAF Log Viewer – See exactly what threats are being blocked WP-CLI Integration – Run security scans from the command line How It Works Sign up for an Atomic Edge account at atomicedge.io Add your site to Atomic Edge and get your API key Install this plugin and enter your API key Manage your security settings directly from WordPress Vulnerability scanning is available when connected and uses Atomic Edge’s vulnerability data feed. Requirements PHP 7.4 or higher WordPress 5.8 or higher An Atomic Edge account (free tier available) OpenSSL PHP extension External Services This plugin connects to external services provided by Atomic Edge to deliver WAF, CDN, and security features. Below is a detailed explanation of each service, what data is transmitted, and when. Atomic Edge API The primary external service this plugin connects to is the Atomic Edge API at https://dashboard.atomicedge.io/api/v1. What it does: * Manages your site’s Web Application Firewall (WAF) settings * Retrieves real-time analytics and traffic data * Fetches WAF security logs showing blocked threats * Manages IP whitelist/blacklist and geographic access controls * Retrieves CDN configuration and status * Provides vulnerability scanning data for WordPress core, plugins, and themes * Powers the Adaptive Defense AI-powered threat detection system What data is sent: * Your site’s API key (for authentication) * IP addresses you add to whitelist/blacklist * Country codes for geographic blocking rules * CDN optimization settings (asset types, minification preferences) * Site URL and domain information * Adaptive Defense settings and blocked IP information When data is sent: * When you save settings in the plugin admin pages * When you view analytics or WAF logs (to fetch data) * When you run a vulnerability scan * When you manage IP access control rules * When Adaptive Defense checks or updates threat status * Background sync of CDN settings (when CDN is enabled) Service links: * Service website: https://atomicedge.io * Terms of Service: https://atomicedge.io/terms-of-service * Privacy Policy: https://atomicedge.io/privacy-policy Malware Signature API The malware scanner fetches signature patterns from a public API endpoint. What it does: * Provides up-to-date malware detection signatures * Allows scanning without requiring an API key What data is sent: * No personal or site-specific data is sent * Only a GET request to retrieve signature patterns When data is sent: * When you initiate a malware scan (if cached signatures have expired) * Signatures are cached locally for 24 hours Service links: * This service is provided by Atomic Edge (same terms and privacy policy as above) Data Storage All API responses are cached locally using WordPress transients to minimize external requests. Malware signature data is cached for 24 hours. Analytics data is fetched fresh on each page load but displayed quickly via JavaScript pagination.

Easily improve site security with WordPress Hardening, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Login Protection, Vulnerability Detection and SSL certificate. Really simple, Effective and Performant WordPress Security Really Simple Security is the most lightweight and easy-to-use security plugin for WordPress. It secures your WordPress website with SSL certificate generation, including proper 301 https redirection and SSL enforcement, scanning for possible vulnerabilities, Login Protection and implementing essential WordPress hardening features. We believe that security should have the absolute minimum effect on website performance, user experience and maintainability. Therefore, Really Simple Security is: Lightweight: Every security feature is developed with a modular approach and with performance in mind. Disabled features won’t load any redundant code. Easy-to-use: 1-minute configuration with short onboarding setup. Security Features Easy SSL Migration Migrates your website to HTTPS and enforces SSL in just one click. 301 redirect via PHP or .htaccess Secure cookies Let’s Encrypt: Install an SSL Certificate if your hosting provider supports manual installation. Server Health Check: Your server configuration is every bit as important for your website security. WordPress Hardening Tweak your configuration and keep WordPress fortified and safe by tackling potential weaknesses. Prevent code execution in the uploads folder Prevent login feedback and disable user enumeration Disable XML-RPC Disable directory browsing Username restrictions (block ‘admin’ and public names) and much more.. Vulnerability Detection Get notified when plugins, themes or WP core contain vulnerabilities and need appropriate action. Login Protection Allow or enforce Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for specific user roles. Users receive a two-factor code via Email. Improve Security with Really Simple Security Pro Protect your site with all essential security features by upgrading to Really Simple Security Pro. Advanced SSL enforcement Mixed Content Scan & Fixer. Detect files that are requested over HTTP and fix them to HTTPS, both Front- and Back-end. Enable HTTP Strict Transport Security and configure your site for the HSTS Preload list. Firewall Really Simple Security Pro includes a performant and efficient WordPress firewall, to stop bots, crawlers and bad actors with IP and username blocks. 404 blocking – Blocks crawlers as they trigger unusual numbers of 404 errors. Region blocking – Only allow/block access to your site from specific regions. Automated and customisable Firewall rules. IP blocklist and allowlist. Security Headers Security headers protect your site visitors against the risk of clickjacking, cross-site-forgery attacks, stealing login credentials and malware. Independent of your Server Configuration, works on Apache, LiteSpeed, NGINX, etc. Protect your website visitors with X-XSS Protection, X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options, a Referrer Policy and CORS headers. Automatically generate your WordPress-tailored Content Security Policy. Vulnerability Measures When a vulnerability is detected in a plugin, theme or WordPress core you will get notified accordingly. With Vulnerability Measures, you can configure simple but effective measures to make sure that a critical vulnerability won’t remain unattended. Force update: An update process will be tried multiple times until it can be assumed development of a theme or plugin is abandoned. You will be notified during these steps. Quarantine: When a plugin or theme can’t be updated to solve a vulnerability, Really Simple Security can quarantine the plugin. Advanced Site Hardening Choose a custom login URL Automated File Permissions check and fixer Rename and randomize your database prefix Change the debug.log file location to a non-public folder Disable application passwords Control admin creation Disable HTTP methods, reducing HTTP requests Login Protection Secure your website’s login process and user accounts with powerful security measures. Two-Step verification (Email login) 2FA (two factor authentication) with TOTP Passwordless login with passkey login Enforce strong passwords and frequent password change Limit Login Attempts With Limit Login Attempts you can configure a threshold to temporarily or permanently block IP addresses or (non-existing) usernames. You can also throw a CAPTCHA after a failed login (hCaptcha or Google reCaptcha) Access Control Restrict access to your site for specific regions. Add specific IP addresses or IP ranges to the Blocklist or Allowlist. Useful Links Documentation Security Definitions Translate Really Simple Security Issues & pull requests Feature requests Love Really Simple Security? If you want to support the continuing development of this plugin, please consider buying Really Simple Security Pro, which includes some excellent security features and premium support. About Really Simple Plugins Our mission is to make complex WordPress requirements really easy. Really Simple Security is developed by Really Simple Plugins. For generating SSL certificates, Really Simple Security uses the le acme2 PHP Let’s Encrypt client library, thanks to ‘fbett’ for providing it. Vulnerability Detection uses WP Vulnerability, an open-source initiative by Javier Casares. Want to join as a collaborator? We’re on GitHub as well!