WP-OTP vs Two Factor

The Two-Factor plugin adds an extra layer of security to your WordPress login by requiring users to provide a second form of authentication in addition to their password. This helps protect against unauthorized access even if passwords are compromised. Setup Instructions Important: Each user must individually configure their two-factor authentication settings. For Individual Users Navigate to your profile: Go to “Users” → “Your Profile” in the WordPress admin Find Two-Factor Options: Scroll down to the “Two-Factor Options” section Choose your methods: Enable one or more authentication providers (noting a site admin may have hidden one or more so what is available could vary): Authenticator App (TOTP) – Use apps like Google Authenticator, Authy, or 1Password Email Codes – Receive one-time codes via email Backup Codes – Generate one-time backup codes for emergencies Dummy Method – For testing purposes only (requires WP_DEBUG) Configure each method: Follow the setup instructions for each enabled provider Set primary method: Choose which method to use as your default authentication Save changes: Click “Update Profile” to save your settings For Site Administrators Plugin settings: The plugin provides a settings page under “Settings → Two-Factor” to configure which providers should be disabled site-wide. User management: Administrators can configure 2FA for other users by editing their profiles Security recommendations: Encourage users to enable backup methods to prevent account lockouts Available Authentication Methods Authenticator App (TOTP) – Recommended Security: High – Time-based one-time passwords Setup: Scan QR code with authenticator app Compatibility: Works with Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password, and other TOTP apps Best for: Most users, provides excellent security with good usability Backup Codes – Recommended Security: Medium – One-time use codes Setup: Generate 10 backup codes for emergency access Compatibility: Works everywhere, no special hardware needed Best for: Emergency access when other methods are unavailable Email Codes Security: Medium – One-time codes sent via email Setup: Automatic – uses your WordPress email address Compatibility: Works with any email-capable device Best for: Users who prefer email-based authentication FIDO U2F Security Keys Deprecated and removed due to loss of browser support. Dummy Method Security: None – Always succeeds Setup: Only available when WP_DEBUG is enabled Purpose: Testing and development only Best for: Developers testing the plugin Important Notes HTTPS Requirement All methods work on both HTTP and HTTPS sites Browser Compatibility TOTP and email methods work on all devices and browsers Account Recovery Always enable backup codes to prevent being locked out of your account If you lose access to all authentication methods, contact your site administrator Security Best Practices Use multiple authentication methods when possible Keep backup codes in a secure location Regularly review and update your authentication settings For more information about two-factor authentication in WordPress, see the WordPress Advanced Administration Security Guide. For more history, see this post. Actions & Filters Here is a list of action and filter hooks provided by the plugin: two_factor_providers filter overrides the available two-factor providers such as email and time-based one-time passwords. Array values are PHP classnames of the two-factor providers. two_factor_providers_for_user filter overrides the available two-factor providers for a specific user. Array values are instances of provider classes and the user object WP_User is available as the second argument. two_factor_enabled_providers_for_user filter overrides the list of two-factor providers enabled for a user. First argument is an array of enabled provider classnames as values, the second argument is the user ID. two_factor_user_authenticated action which receives the logged in WP_User object as the first argument for determining the logged in user right after the authentication workflow. two_factor_user_api_login_enable filter restricts authentication for REST API and XML-RPC to application passwords only. Provides the user ID as the second argument. two_factor_email_token_ttl filter overrides the time interval in seconds that an email token is considered after generation. Accepts the time in seconds as the first argument and the ID of the WP_User object being authenticated. two_factor_email_token_length filter overrides the default 8 character count for email tokens. two_factor_backup_code_length filter overrides the default 8 character count for backup codes. Provides the WP_User of the associated user as the second argument. two_factor_rest_api_can_edit_user filter overrides whether a user’s Two-Factor settings can be edited via the REST API. First argument is the current $can_edit boolean, the second argument is the user ID. two_factor_before_authentication_prompt action which receives the provider object and fires prior to the prompt shown on the authentication input form. two_factor_after_authentication_prompt action which receives the provider object and fires after the prompt shown on the authentication input form. two_factor_after_authentication_input action which receives the provider object and fires after the input shown on the authentication input form (if form contains no input, action fires immediately after two_factor_after_authentication_prompt). two_factor_login_backup_links filters the backup links displayed on the two-factor login form. Redirect After the Two-Factor Challenge To redirect users to a specific URL after completing the two-factor challenge, use WordPress Core built-in login_redirect filter. The filter works the same way as in a standard WordPress login flow: add_filter( 'login_redirect', function( $redirect_to, $requested_redirect_to, $user ) { return home_url( '/dashboard/' ); }, 10, 3 );

With WP-OTP you can easily set up 2 Factor Authentication with One Time Passwords for your WordPress login. This extra layer makes your WordPress site a lot more secure. The new stealth mode allows for invisible OTP code entry, making your login screen look like any other, no extra OTP code input field. Getting started After installing and activating the plugin, every user can enable WP-OTP on their profile page. It’s as easy as scanning the provided QR Code or entering the OTP secret to any OTP generator app. Then just activate it by entering the generated OTP and voilà, all set up. Now, the login requires an OTP code to succeed. Each user gets their own secret key to authenticate with, giving them control over their login security. Development This plugin is completely open source and a work of passion. If you would like to be part of it and join in, make your way over to the project page now. Also, if you have an idea you would like to see in this plugin or if you’ve found a bug, please let me know. Configuration WP_OTP_STEALTH: Set this to true to enable stealth OTP mode. Filters There are a multitude of filters to be adjusted. wp_otp_qr_code_provisioning_uri: URI for online QR Code rendering (must contain {PROVISIONING_URI} placeholder for QR Code data). wp_otp_login_form_text: Text for input field on the login screen. wp_otp_login_form_text_sub: Subtext for the input field on the login screen. wp_otp_login_form_invalid_code_text: Error text for an invalid code input on the login screen. wp_otp_code_expiration_window: Set the window of code verification expiration. wp_otp_recovery_codes_count: Number of recovery codes to generate. wp_otp_recovery_codes_length: Length of the recovery codes. wp_otp_secret_length: Length of the secret key. Minimum requirements WordPress 4.6, PHP 7.4. Donate / Support All donations are much appreciated, thank you 🙏 Get professional support for this plugin with a Tidelift subscription Tidelift helps make open source sustainable for maintainers while giving companies assurances about security, maintenance, and licensing for their dependencies. Security To report a security vulnerability, please use the Tidelift security contact. Tidelift will coordinate the fix and disclosure.