miniOrange 2FA – Two Factor Authentication for WordPress (OTP, SMS, vs Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite

WordPress Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) WordPress websites are frequently targeted by brute force attacks, credential stuffing attacks, phishing attempts, and unauthorized login attempts. Passwords alone are no longer sufficient to protect administrator accounts, customer accounts, and sensitive website data. Which is exactly why 2FA has become essential. The miniOrange 2-Factor Authentication plugin adds an additional layer of security to WordPress logins by requiring users to verify their identity using a second authentication factor. Even if a password is compromised, unauthorized users cannot access accounts without completing the 2FA verification process. The 2FA plugin supports multiple Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) methods, including Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, Passkey, Email OTP, SMS OTP, WhatsApp OTP, Telegram OTP, Push Notification, backup codes, security questions, and hardware token authentication. Whether you manage a WooCommerce store, membership website, LMS platform, enterprise portal, educational institution, government website, or agency-managed environment, WordPress 2FA helps secure user accounts and reduce the risk of account compromise. The free plan supports unlimited users with Google Authenticator (TOTP), Passkey, Email OTP, and Security Questions. Premium adds more 2FA methods (SMS OTP, WhatsApp OTP, Push Notification, email verification link, and more), enforcement policies, trusted devices, multisite support, custom branding, and more. What’s New in 6.2.9 Unlimited users on the free plan — no user cap, no per-seat charge. Passkey (WebAuthn/FIDO2) — free — passwordless 2FA with Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello, or a hardware security key. Push Notification 2FA (Premium) — approve the login from your phone with one tap, no code to type. Why Use (2FA) Two-Factor Authentication for WordPress? Protect Administrator Accounts Administrator accounts are the primary target of attackers. WordPress Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) ensures that only verified users can access administrative dashboards. Prevent Unauthorized Access Even if passwords are stolen through phishing attacks or data breaches, additional authentication requirements help prevent unauthorized access. Improve WordPress Login Security WordPress MFA strengthens login security by combining passwords with additional verification methods. Reduce Account Takeover Risks Multi-factor authentication significantly reduces the likelihood of successful account takeover attempts. Secure WooCommerce Customer Accounts Protect customer profiles, order information, payment details, and store management accounts using WooCommerce Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). Quick Links: Setup Guide | Features | Pricing Plans | Support WordPress 2FA Plugin Explained in Minutes Passkey 2FA — Free Passkey replaces the password with a cryptographic key stored on the user’s device. Nothing is typed, so nothing can be phished — making Passkey one of the strongest 2FA methods available today, and it’s free in this plugin. Register a Passkey from the user profile in seconds Works with Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello, and Android biometrics Works with hardware security keys such as YubiKey, Titan, and SoloKey Use Passkey as passwordless login or as the second 2FA step Multiple passkeys per user, with backup codes as fallback No external calls — Passkey verification happens entirely on your own site Push Notification 2FA — Premium Push Notification 2FA sends a login approval request directly to the user’s phone. They tap Approve and the login completes — no six-digit code, no SMS delay, no copy-paste. It’s one of the fastest 2FA methods for teams that log in many times a day. WordPress 2FA Core Features miniOrange provides comprehensive WordPress Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and Multi-Factor Authentication capabilities for websites of all sizes. Google Authenticator and OTP Authentication for WordPress Secure WordPress logins using multiple 2FA authentication methods: Google Authenticator (TOTP-based 2FA) Passkey Authentication (WebAuthn/FIDO2, passwordless & phishing-resistant) Email OTP Verification Security Questions (KBA) Backup Codes Microsoft Authenticator (Premium) Authy Authenticator (Premium) LastPass Authenticator (Premium) SMS OTP Verification (Premium) WhatsApp OTP Authentication (Premium) Telegram OTP Authentication (Premium) Push Notification Authentication (Premium) Email Verification Link (Premium) Hardware Token Authentication (Premium) WordPress MFA Policies and User Authentication Enforce 2FA for all users Role-based authentication policies User-specific MFA settings Trusted device support Grace period configuration Backup authentication methods Force 2FA setup on login WooCommerce Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Protect WooCommerce stores with enhanced login security and customer account protection. Secure customer accounts with WooCommerce 2FA Protect store managers and administrators Improve customer WooCommerce login security Compatible with WooCommerce login and account pages Passwordless Login for WordPress Allow users to securely access WordPress without traditional passwords. Passkey passwordless login Magic Link Login OTP Login (without password) Email Verification Login Login Security and Account Protection Improve overall WordPress login security using advanced authentication controls. Secure user verification Trusted device management Backup authentication options Account recovery methods Strong access control policies Login reports & IP alerts Custom redirects after login Custom SMS gateway integration (Premium) Custom branding & white labeling (Premium) Multisite support (Premium) Works with Popular WordPress Plugins Compatible with: – WooCommerce – Elementor – Ultimate Member – BuddyPress – Theme My Login – LoginPress – Custom login forms Free vs Premium Free — unlimited users, Passkey, Google Authenticator (and other TOTP apps), Email OTP, backup codes, security questions, role-based 2FA, WooCommerce 2FA, passwordless login. Premium — Push Notification 2FA, SMS OTP, WhatsApp OTP, Telegram OTP, hardware tokens, trusted devices, custom SMS gateway, custom branding & white-labelling, multisite 2FA, advanced reporting. External Services Some 2FA methods require communication with miniOrange services to send or verify OTP, SMS, email, push, or account-related requests. These services are used only when you configure or use the related 2FA method. Passkey and Google Authenticator (TOTP) are verified entirely on your own site and make no external calls. Service links: miniOrange Terms | miniOrange Privacy Policy

Premium Security. Zero Cost. Vigilant provides enterprise-level WordPress security features completely free. No premium version, no upsells, no hidden features behind paywalls. Protect your site with a complete security suite: firewall, two-factor authentication, brute force protection, security headers, file integrity monitoring, closed plugin detection, malware detection, user management, security audit logging, under attack mode and much more. Once activated, Vigilant immediately applies firewall rules against common attacks (SQL injection, XSS, file inclusion), security headers, login attempt monitoring, XML-RPC blocking, WordPress version hiding and sensitive file protection (.htaccess, wp-config.php), after automatically backing up your existing configuration files. One-Click Security Presets Choose a preset and get protected instantly: Standard – Balanced security suitable for most websites. Enables all modules with sensible defaults that won’t interfere with normal site operation. Maximum Security – Strictest settings for high-security sites. Tighter rate limits, stronger CSP rules, mandatory admin notifications. May require fine-tuning for some setups. You can always customize individual settings after applying a preset. Under Attack Mode Is your site under active attack? Activate Under Attack mode with one click and stop malicious traffic instantly: JavaScript challenge – Every visitor must pass an automatic browser verification before accessing your site. Real browsers solve it in seconds, bots get blocked completely Aggressive rate limiting – Requests limited to 30 per minute with 15-minute blocks for offenders HTTP method restriction – Only GET, POST and HEAD allowed; PUT, DELETE, PATCH, OPTIONS and TRACE are blocked Empty user agent blocking – Requests without a user agent header are rejected Full XML-RPC lockdown during the attack REST API restriction – Only authenticated users can access the REST API Auto-deactivation – Mode turns off after 4 hours so you never forget it’s on Email notifications when the mode activates and deactivates HMAC-signed cookies – Verified visitors get a signed cookie so they only see the challenge once Under Attack mode works independently from your preset configuration. Your regular settings are preserved and restored when the mode deactivates. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Add a second verification step to your WordPress login: Authenticator app (TOTP) – Google Authenticator, Authy, Microsoft Authenticator or any TOTP-compatible app Email codes – One-time 6-digit verification codes sent via email QR code setup directly in user profiles 10 backup codes for emergency access if you lose your device Configurable grace period for users to set up their authenticator app Trusted devices – optionally let users skip 2FA on recognized devices for 30 days Role-based enforcement – require 2FA for administrators, editors or any role Exclude specific users from 2FA requirements Admin tool to reset TOTP for users who lost their authenticator Configurable code expiry, attempt limits and email sender name User notification emails when 2FA is enabled or the method changes Firewall Protection Block malicious requests before they reach WordPress: SQL injection blocking XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attack prevention File inclusion protection (LFI/RFI) Directory traversal blocking Bad query string filtering (catches generic suspicious patterns the specific blockers miss) Bad bot detection and blocking Block requests with empty user agent Rate limiting against DDoS and brute force, with optional progressive lockouts IP whitelist and blacklist management (IPv4 and IPv6, with CIDR ranges and wildcards) User-Agent whitelist and blacklist with partial matching Visitor IP detection control – read the real IP directly from the connection (a spoof-proof default) or from a proxy header when behind Cloudflare, a reverse proxy or a load balancer, with an admin notice if a proxy is detected but not configured HTTP method restriction Server-level file protection via .htaccess: block direct access to wp-config.php, .htaccess, wp-includes/ and sensitive files (.log, .sql, .bak, .ini, debug.log, readme.html, etc.), and optionally wp-cron.php external access Block PHP execution in /uploads (one of the most common post-exploit vectors) Disable directory browsing Login Security Stop unauthorized access attempts: Limit login attempts with configurable thresholds Progressive lockouts – longer blocks for repeat offenders Custom login URL – hide wp-login.php from bots Login URL change notifications to all admin-area users Hide login error messages – don’t reveal valid usernames XML-RPC control: leave it on, block only the pingback methods (recommended, it closes the amplification vector while the mobile app and Jetpack keep working), or disable it completely Application passwords control Email notification when an IP is blocked for exceeding login attempts Admin login notifications via email IP whitelist for trusted locations User Security Comprehensive user account protection: Block insecure usernames (admin, test, root, etc.) on new registrations Warn about existing users with insecure usernames so you can rename or remove them Block author scanning – intercept ?author=N URLs so WordPress doesn’t redirect them to /author/USERNAME/ and leak the login slug Force strong passwords with minimum length Password expiration with configurable intervals Password history – prevent reusing old passwords Force password reset – by specific users, by role, or all users (post-hack recovery) Session limits – control concurrent logins per user Session management – view and revoke active sessions Email verification for new registrations Registration approval workflow – manually approve new users Admin account monitoring – alerts for new admins, email changes, password changes, privilege escalation Display name protection – prevent exposing login username publicly Security Headers Achieve Grade A security ratings: Content Security Policy (CSP) with a WordPress-compatible default policy and Report-Only mode for safe testing before enforcing HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) with includeSubdomains and preload options X-Frame-Options – prevent clickjacking X-Content-Type-Options – prevent MIME sniffing Referrer Policy control Permissions Policy (camera, microphone, geolocation, payment, USB) Cross-Origin policies (COEP, COOP, CORP) HTTPS enforcer with automatic mixed content fix Server fingerprint hiding – the Server: header is neutralized and X-Powered-By and other fingerprinting headers are stripped from responses File Integrity Monitoring Detect unauthorized changes to your files and compromised plugins: WordPress core verification against official checksums Plugin and theme file monitoring with WordPress.org checksums Critical config files (wp-config.php, .htaccess) monitored against baseline, detecting code injection even in files with no official checksum Closed and removed plugins detection – daily check against the WordPress.org repository, flagging any installed plugin closed for malware, security issues or guideline violations, including both explicit closures and silent “removed” takedowns, with per-slug Ignore for legacy plugins you can’t uninstall yet Line-level diff view of changes, with per-file approval workflow Suspicious code scanning for plugins and themes without checksums Extra file detection in plugins and themes (files not in original distribution) Uploads directory scanning for PHP files, double extensions and .htaccess, with smart classification of dangerous rules vs protective ones Root directory scanning for non-core PHP files (common attack vector) String concatenation obfuscation detection Configurable notification levels and an ignore list to dismiss known files Excluded paths and file extensions Scheduled automatic scans (daily, weekly) HTML formatted email alerts with severity sections, including a dedicated section for closed plugins Security Audit Track everything happening on your site: Successful and failed login attempts Two-factor authentication events User account changes (creation, deletion, role changes) Content modifications (posts, pages) Plugin and theme activations/deactivations Security events and blocked threats HTTP request method tracking and filtering (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE) Enhanced log detail popup with grouped sections and quick actions One-click add IP or User-Agent to firewall whitelist/blacklist from log entries Direct IP lookup links to AbuseIPDB Configurable retention period, CSV export, and filtering by event type, severity, request method or date Audit Alerts – get an email when the audit log points to something worth your attention, off by default and configured under Security Audit: Immediate alerts the moment a serious event is logged, by minimum severity (a new administrator, a closed plugin or a privilege escalation are all logged as Critical) Threshold alerts when a category spikes – firewall blocks, login failures, user, plugin, file integrity, security, system and content events – over a 30-minute, 1, 6 or 24 hour window, counting only warning and critical events so routine activity never trips them A single anti-repeat cooldown keeps a storm of events down to one notice instead of flooding your inbox Active alerts surface in Settings & Tools, the Dashboard, the Configuration Score and the Security Check “Send test email” button to confirm delivery Security Check On-demand security audit built into the Dashboard. No external services, no accounts, no API keys – everything runs on your server: 40+ checks across 6 categories: SSL/TLS, HTTP Headers, WP Exposure, Access & Auth, Sensitive Files and Internal Checks Single 0-100 score with A-E grade, plus per-category breakdown and explanatory details for every check 15 exclusive internal checks impossible from the outside: PHP end-of-life status, pending updates, inactive plugins, closed or removed plugins, file permissions, default salts detection, wp_ table prefix, admin username, administrators without 2FA enrolled, module status, recent audit errors, last File Integrity scan result and whether audit alerts are configured DNS-only reputation lookup against Spamhaus ZEN, Barracuda BRBL and SpamCop SCBL (informational – listings are flagged but don’t deduct from the score) Two-phase scan: fast local checks appear in under a second, remote checks stream in as they complete Weekly automatic scan with opt-in email alert if the score drops by 10+ points or a new critical check starts failing 30-scan history with sparkline trend and delta chip “Go to setting” fix link on every failing check, jumping straight to the exact Vigilant field that resolves it Smart header diagnostics that report “configured but not being served” when a cache/CDN overrides your headers WordPress Hardening Layered protection at the WordPress level – admin, content, head, feeds and database: Lock down the admin: disable the built-in plugin and theme file editor, block installations and updates from the admin area, and force HTTPS for the admin area. Compatible with any hosting layout, respecting values already in place and never overriding them Disable WordPress’s internal page-view cron when you already have a real server-side cron job configured Dashboard warning when debug mode is left enabled in production, so error output never leaks to visitors Hide your WordPress version everywhere it can leak: from the HTML head, from RSS and Atom feeds, and optionally from every script and style URL on the front-end (stripping only the WordPress version itself, leaving plugin and theme cache busting intact) Automatic daily removal of readme.html, license.txt and licencia.txt from the WordPress root, which otherwise expose your version HTML head cleanup – remove the RSD link, Windows Live Writer manifest, shortlink header and REST API discovery link Database hardening – check for the default wp_ table prefix and one-click rename tool with full backup before the change Comment security – honeypot field against spam bots, force moderation on every new comment, close comments on old posts, disable pingbacks and trackbacks Feed management – completely disable RSS and Atom feeds, or only disable them when the site has no published content REST API Security Control API access to your site: Three access modes: public (default WordPress behavior), authenticated only (closes the API to anonymous visitors), or selective (custom allow/block lists) Block user enumeration via /wp-json/wp/v2/users Protect any list of sensitive endpoints from anonymous access Per-plugin compatibility toggles so authenticated mode doesn’t break the front-end: WooCommerce, Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WPForms, Elementor, Jetpack. oEmbed and Site Health endpoints stay accessible by default Security Tools Utilities included: Database Backup – Download a full or partial database backup as ZIP with table selection Database Prefix Change – Change the default wp_ prefix to a random secure prefix Export/Import Settings – Transfer your configuration between sites Manual Backup – Create backups of .htaccess and wp-config.php on demand Reset to Defaults – Start fresh with one click Safe by Design Your existing .htaccess, wp-config.php and robots.txt are automatically backed up before any modifications. Backups are stored in the WordPress database, never as files under the web root, and verified with MD5 checksums. When you deactivate Vigilant, all security rules are automatically removed and your original configuration files are restored. No leftover code, no broken sites. Why Vigilant? Most WordPress security plugins reserve their best features for paid plans. Vigilant gives you everything upfront – no premium tier, no feature locks, no upsells. Firewall, 2FA with authenticator app, security headers, file integrity scanner, security audit, on-demand Security Check with weekly regression alerts, and more. All free, all maintained, all following WordPress coding standards. We maintain a detailed feature comparison between Vigilant and other popular security plugins (Wordfence, Solid Security, AIOS, Sucuri, SG Security). See what each offers in its free version and where Vigilant fills the gaps. → View the full comparison Support Need private support or custom development? Do you need one-on-one help, priority troubleshooting, or a custom feature, integration, or tweak built specifically for your site? I offer private support and custom development. Just contact me and tell me what you need. Need help or have suggestions? Official website WordPress support forum YouTube channel Documentation and tutorials Love the plugin? Please leave us a 5-star review and help spread the word! About AyudaWP We are specialists in WordPress security, SEO, AI and performance optimization plugins. We create tools that solve real problems for WordPress site owners while maintaining the highest coding standards and accessibility requirements.