Guard Dog vs WP Hide & Security Enhancer

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.

Effortlessly conceal your WordPress site from detection! With over 99.99% of hacks targeting specific plugin and theme vulnerabilities, this plugin significantly boosts site security by making it invisible to hackers’ web scanners. By removing all traces of WordPress, including themes and plugins, potential exploits are rendered harmless. This method ensures that your site is safe without affecting SEO; in fact, it can enhance certain SEO aspects when used strategically. WP-Hide has launched the easiest way to completely hide your WordPress core files, login page, theme and plugins paths from being shown on front side. This is a huge improvement over Site Security, since no one will know whether you are running or not a WordPress. It also provides a simple way to clean up html by removing all WordPress fingerprints. No file and directory change! No file and directory will be changed anywhere. Everything is processed virtually. The plugin code uses URL rewrite techniques and WordPress filters to apply all internal functionality and features. Everything is done automatically without user intervention required at all. Real hide of WordPress core files and plugins The plugin not only allows you to change default URLs of you WordPress, but it also hides/blocks such defaults. Other similar plugins, just change the slugs, but the defaults are still accessible, obviously revealing WordPress as CMS. You can change the default WordPress login URL from wp-admin and wp-login.php to something totally arbitrary. No one will ever know where to try to guess a login and hack into your site. It becomes totally invisible. Full plugin documentation available at WordPress Hide and Security Enhancer Documentation When testing with WordPress theme and plugins detector services/sites, any setting change may not reflect right away on their reports, since they use cache. So, you may want to check again later, or try a different inner URL. Homepage URL usage is not mandatory. Being the best content management system, widely used, WordPress is susceptible to a large range of hacking attacks including brute-force, SQL injections, XSS, XSRF etc. Despite the fact the WordPress core is a very secure code maintained by a team of professional enthusiast, the additional plugins and themes make ita vulnerable spot for every website. In many cases, those are created by pseudo-developers who do not follow the best coding practices or simply do not own the experience to create a secure plugin. Statistics reveal that every day new vulnerabilities are discovered, many affecting hundreds of thousands of WordPress websites. Over 99,9% of hacked WordPress websites are target of automated malware scripts, which search for certain WordPress fingerprints. This plugin hides or replaces those traces, making the hacking bots attacks useless. It works well with custom WordPress directory structures,e.g. custom plugins, themes, and upload folders. Once configured, you need to clear server cache data and/or any cache plugins (e.g. W3 Cache), for a new html data to be created. If you use CDN this should be cache clear as well. Sample usage Main plugin functionality: Customizes Admin URL Blocks default admin URL Blocks any direct folder access to completely hide the structure Customize wp-login.php filename 2FA – Two-factor Authentication 2FA – Two-factor Authentication – Email Verification Code 2FA – Two-factor Authentication – Authenticator App 2FA – Two-factor Authentication – Recovery Codes 2FA – Two-factor Authentication – Shortcode for front-side user settings interface 2FA – Two-factor Authentication – My Account > Account Details – area for 2FA user settings interface Google Captcha Blocks default wp-login.php Blocks default wp-signup.php Blocks XML-RPC API Creates New XML-RPC paths Adjusts theme URL Creates New child Theme URL Changes theme style file name Cleans any headers for theme style file Customizes wp-include Blocks default wp-include paths Blocks default wp-content Customizes plugins URL Changes Individual plugin URL Blocks default plugins paths Creates New upload URL Blocks default upload URL Removes WordPress version Blocks Meta Generator Disables the emoji and required javascript code Removes pingback tag Removes wlwmanifest Meta Removes rsd_link Meta Removes wpemoji Minifies Html, Css, JavaScript Security Headers and many more. No other plugin functionality will be blocked or interfered in any way by WP-Hide This plugin allows to change the default Admin URL from wp-login.php and wp-admin to something else. All original links turn the default theme to “404 Not Found” page, as if nothing exists there. Besides the huge security advantage, the WP-Hide plugin saves lots of server processing time by reducing php code and MySQL usage since brute-force attacks target the weakURL. Important: Compared to all other similar plugins which mainly use redirects, this plugin turns a default theme to“404 error” page for all blocked URL functionalities, without revealing the link existence at all. Since version 1.2, WP-Hide change individual plugin URLs and made them unrecognizable. For example,the change of the default WooCommerce plugin URL and its dependencies from domain.com/wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/ into domain.com/ecommerce/cdn/ or anything customized. Plugin Sections **Hide -> Scan Exhaustive system security examination with analysis and improvements guidance and fixes Hide -> Rewrite > Theme New Theme Path – Changes default theme path New Style File Path – Changes default style file name and path Remove description header from Style file – Replaces any WordPress metadata information (like theme name, version etc.,) from style file Child – New Theme Path – Changes default child theme path Child – New Style File Path – Changes child theme style-sheet file path and name Child – Remove description header from Style file – Replaces any WordPress metadata information (like theme name, version etc.,) from style file Hide -> Rewrite > WP includes New Include Path – Changes default wp-include path/URL Block wp-include URL – Blocks default wp-include URL Hide -> Rewrite > WP content New Content Path – Change default wp-content path/URL Block wp-content URL – Blocks the default content URL Hide -> Rewrite > Plugins New Plugin Path – Changes default wp-content/plugins path/URL Block plugin URL – Blocks default wp-content/plugins URL New path / URL for Every Active Plugin Customize path and name for any active plugins Hide -> Rewrite > Uploads New Upload Path – Changes default media files path/URL Block upload URL – Blocks default media files URL Hide -> Rewrite > Comments New wp-comments-post.php Path Block wp-comments-post.php Hide -> Rewrite > Author New Author Path Prevent Access to Author Archives Block default path Hide -> Rewrite > Search New Search Path Block default path Hide -> Rewrite > XML-RPC New XML-RPC Path – Changes default XML-RPC path / URL Block default xmlrpc.php – Blocks default XML-RPC URL Disable XML-RPC authentication – Filters whether XML-RPC methods require authentication Remove pingback – Removes pingback link tag from theme Hide -> Rewrite > JSON REST Clean the REST API response Disable JSON REST V1 service – Disables an API service for WordPress which is active by default Disable JSON REST V2 service – Disables an API service for WordPress which is active by default Block any JSON REST calls – Any call for JSON REST API service will be blocked Disable output the REST API link tag into page header Disable JSON REST WP RSD endpoint from XML-RPC responses Disable Sends a Link header for the REST API Hide -> Rewrite > Root Files Block license.txt – Blocks access to license.txt root file Block readme.html – Blocks access to readme.html root file Block wp-activate.php – Blocks access to wp-activate.php file Block wp-cron.php – Blocks outside access to wp-cron.php file Block wp-signup.php – Blocks default wp-signup.php file Block other wp-*.php files – Blocks other wp-.php files within WordPress Root Hide -> Rewrite > URL Slash URL’s add Slash – Add a slash to any links without it. This disguisesthe existence of a file, folder or a wrong URL, which will all be slashed. Hide -> General / Html > Core Disabling Directory Listing Hide -> General / Html > Meta Remove WordPress Generator Meta Remove Other Generator Meta Remove Shortlink Meta Remove DNS Prefetch Remove Resource Hints Remove wlwmanifest Meta Remove feed_links Meta Disable output the REST API link tag into page header Remove rsd_link Meta Remove adjacent_posts_rel Meta Remove profile link Remove canonical link Hide -> General / Block Detectors Block Detectors Hide -> General / Emulate CMS Emulate CMS Hide -> General / Html > Admin Bar Remove WordPress Admin Bar for specified urser roles Hide -> General / Feed Remove feed|rdf|rss|rss2|atom links Hide -> General / Robots.txt Disable admin URL within Robots.txt Hide -> General / Html > Emoji Disable Emoji Disable TinyMC Emoji Hide -> General / Html > Styles Remove Version Remove ID from link tags Hide -> General / Html > Scripts Remove Version Hide -> General / Html > Oembed Remove Oembed Hide -> General / Html > Headers Remove Link Header Remove X-Powered-By Header Remove Server Header Remove X-Pingback Header Hide -> General / Html > HTML Remove HTML Comments Minify Html, CSS, JavaScript Remove general classes from body tag Remove ID from Menu items Remove class from Menu items Remove general classes from post Remove general classes from images Hide -> General / Html > User Interactions Disable Mouse right click Disable Text Selection Disable Copy Disable Cut Disable Paste Disable Print Disable Print Screen Disable Developer Tools Disable View Source Disable Drag / Drop Hide -> Admin > wp-login.php New wp-login.php – Maps a new wp-login.php instead of the default one Block default wp-login.php – Blocks default wp-login.php file from being accessible Customize the default login page Logo image Hide -> Admin > Admin URL New Admin URL – Creates a new admin URL instead of the default ”/wp-admin”. This also applies for admin-ajax.php calls Disable customized Admin Url redirect to the Login page Block default Admin Url – Blocks default admin URL and files from being accessible Security -> 2FA Enable 2FA Enable the 2FA for specific roles Enforce User to Configure 2FA Primary option for Two-Factor Disable 2FA when using Temporary Login Security -> 2FA Email Activate 2FA Email Security -> 2FA Auth App Activate Authenticator app (TOTP) Security -> 2FA Recovery Codes Activate 2FA Recovery Codes Security -> Captcha Google Captcha V2 Google Captcha V3 CloudFlare Turnstile ( PRO ) Settings -> CDN CDN Url – Sets-up CDN if applied. Some providers replace site assets with custom URLs. Security -> Headers HTTP Response Headers are a powerful tool to Harden Your Website Security. * Cross-Origin-Embedder-Policy (COEP) * Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy (COOP) * Cross-Origin-Resource-Policy (CORP) * Referrer-Policy * X-Content-Type-Options * X-Download-Options * X-Frame-Options (XFO) * X-Permitted-Cross-Domain-Policies * X-XSS-Protection This free version works with Apache and IIS server types. For all server types, check with WP Hide PRO This is a basic version that can hide everything for basic sites, example https://demo.wp-hide.com/. When using complex plugins and themes, the WP Hide PRO may be required. We provide free assistance to hide everything on your site, along with the commercial product. Anything wrong with this plugin on your site? Just use the forum or get in touch with us at Contact and we’ll check it out. A website example can be found at https://demo.wp-hide.com/ or our website WP Hide and Security Enhancer Plugin homepage at WordPress Hide and Security Enhancer This plugin is developed by Nsp-Code Localization Please help and translate this plugin to your language at https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/wp-hide-security-enhancer You are kindly asked to promote this plugin if it comes up to your expectations via an article on your site or any other place. If you liked this code/WP-Hide or if it helped with your project, why not leave a 5 star review on this board.