Login by Auth0 vs Guard Dog

This plugin replaces standard WordPress login forms with one powered by Auth0 that enables: Universal authentication Over 30 social login providers Enterprise connections (ADFS, Active Directory / LDAP, SAML, Office 365, Google Apps and more) Connect your own database Passwordless connections (using email or SMS) Ultra secure Multifactor authentication Password policies Email validation Mitigate brute force attacks Technical Notes IMPORTANT: By using this plugin you are delegating the site authentication and profile handling to Auth0. That means that you won’t be using the WordPress database to authenticate users and the default WordPress login forms will be replaced. Please see our How It Works page for more information on how Auth0 authenticates and manages your users. Migrating Existing Users Auth0 allows multiple authentication providers. You can have social providers like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and more, a database of users and passwords (just like WordPress but hosted in Auth0), or you can use an Enterprise directory like Active Directory, LDAP, Office365, Google Apps, or SAML. All those authentication providers might give you an email and a flag indicating whether the email was verified or not. We use that email (only if it is verified) to associate a previous existing user with the one coming from Auth0. If the email was not verified and there is an account with that email in WordPress, the user will be presented with a page saying that the email was not verified and a link to “Re-send the verification email.” For either scenario, you can choose whether it is mandatory that the user has a verified email or not in the plugin settings. Please note: In order for a user to log in using Auth0, they will need to sign up via the Auth0 login form (or have an account created for them in Auth0). Once signup is complete, their Auth0 user will be automatically associated with their WordPress user. Widget You can enable Auth0 as a WordPress widget in order to show it in a sidebar. The widget inherits the main plugin settings but can be overridden with its own settings in the widget form. Note: this form will not display for logged-in users. Shortcode Also, you can use the Auth0 widget as a shortcode in your editor. Just add the following to use the global settings: [auth0] Like widgets, shortcode login forms will use the settings of the plugin. It can be customized by adding the following attributes: icon_url – A direct URL to an image used at the top of the login form form_title – Text to appear at the top of the login form gravatar – Display the user’s Gravatar; set to 1 for yes redirect_to – A direct URL to use after successful login dict – Valid JSON to override form text (see options here) extra_conf – Valid JSON to override Lock configuration (see options here) show_as_modal – Display a button that triggers the login form in a modal; set to 1 for yes modal_trigger_name – Button text to display when using a modal Example: [auth0 show_as_modal="1" modal_trigger_name="Login button: This text is configurable!"] Note: this form will not display for logged-in users.

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.