Atomic Edge Security – Firewall, Malware Scan and Login Security vs Watchdog Security Lite

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.

Watchdog Security Lite is the free WordPress security edition powered by the Lumiverse Nexus ecosystem. It brings together active request protection, local malware scanning, vulnerability intelligence, official-file integrity checks, login protection and WooCommerce-aware controls in one security-focused dashboard. Watchdog Lite is designed to provide useful protection without turning every unusual request into an attack claim. Detection, observation and enforcement are kept distinct wherever possible so site owners can understand what the plugin actually saw and what it actually restricted. Core security features Traffic Shield Lite – conservative request-abuse protection for suspicious scanning, repeated hostile traffic and selected XML-RPC pressure. Login Guard – login abuse protection with lockout controls designed to avoid treating ordinary mistakes as attacks. Malware Scanner – local PHP/file scanning with high-confidence signatures, changed-file-first routine scanning and MU-plugin coverage. Vulnerability Watch Lite – checks installed WordPress, plugin and theme versions against Nexus vulnerability intelligence and provides severity plus update guidance. Official File Integrity – compares WordPress core and supported WordPress.org components with official checksums or packages. Safe Core Repair – manually restores verified modified or missing WordPress core files after creating a protected restore point. Optional administrator TOTP 2FA – authenticator-app protection and one-time recovery codes, configured separately by each administrator. Security Incident Inbox – groups related security activity into readable incidents. Site Change Watch Lite – records important administrator, plugin, theme and risky file changes. WP-Cron persistence checks – highlights high-confidence suspicious scheduled-task patterns and risky combinations. Watchdog Live Pulse – a real-data visual view of recent traffic, bots and protection activity. It does not invent attack events. Weekly Security Digest – optional once-weekly email summarizing protection activity, scan coverage and important security health signals. Nexus Threat Network Lite – optional shared threat intelligence with selected high-confidence signal contribution and privacy-preserving aggregate security telemetry. WooCommerce-aware protection WooCommerce stores receive cart, wishlist, catalog, checkout, AJAX and crawler traffic that should not all be treated as ordinary page requests. Watchdog Lite includes WooCommerce Bot Cart Guard Lite. When enabled, crawler-claimed and obvious automation may still access public pages while supported cart, wishlist or remove-item mutations are neutralized before they create unwanted shopping state. Normal shoppers, logged-in users and ordinary browser traffic are not handled by this crawler/automation rule. For business sites and stores that need earlier request containment, advanced WooCommerce resource protection, deeper incident investigation, richer Threat Network intelligence and recovery workflows, see Lumiverse Nexus PRO. Optional TOTP two-factor authentication TOTP 2FA is optional and configured separately by each administrator. It protects the standard WordPress administrator login; API, XML-RPC and application-password authentication remain separate controls. Watchdog Lite does not force 2FA after installation, after an update or when Recommended Local Protection is applied. The feature works with standard time-based authenticator applications, stores the secret locally and provides one-time recovery codes. Administrators should keep recovery codes in a secure location. Nexus Threat Network Lite Nexus Threat Network Lite is disabled by default. When an administrator enables Threat Intelligence Lite, the site joins the Nexus Threat Network participation model. While enabled, the site can: receive compact shared threat intelligence; contribute selected, high-confidence security signals used to strengthen network intelligence. Selected verified security signals are a separate part of Threat Network participation and may include the attacking public IP address together with limited security metadata such as event type, rule reference, confidence, request category, aggregated observation count, plugin version and a pseudonymous contributor credential. Disabling Threat Intelligence Lite stops Threat Network participation and discards unsent aggregate telemetry. Confirmed-match blocking remains a separate protection choice. Learn more at Nexus Threat Network. Lite and Nexus PRO Watchdog Security Lite provides practical security foundations for WordPress sites and WooCommerce stores. Lumiverse Nexus PRO adds the broader protection and investigation platform, including Early WAF / pre-WordPress protection, advanced WooCommerce resource defense, deeper Threat Network classifications, Security Twin, Threat Constellation, Incident Replay, Threat Continuum and Rescue Center workflows. Learn more at Lumiverse Nexus PRO. External Services Watchdog Security Lite performs routine malware/file scanning locally. Website files and file contents are not uploaded for routine malware scanning. Lumiverse Nexus services Watchdog Lite may communicate with services under: lumiversenexus.com These services provide malware-signature updates, vulnerability intelligence and Nexus Threat Network functions. Signature and vulnerability intelligence: requests may include normal HTTPS connection information and the public component information needed to retrieve the relevant intelligence. Installed component versions are evaluated locally. Website files, page content, usernames, passwords, customer data and order data are not uploaded for these checks. Threat Network participation: While enabled, selected high-confidence verified security signals may include an attacking public IP address plus limited security metadata such as event type, rule reference, confidence, request category, aggregated observation count, plugin version and a pseudonymous contributor credential. Threat Network registration does not require a customer name, email address, WordPress username, license key or site URL. Service information: Lumiverse Nexus Privacy Notice and Terms of Service.