2. INTRODUCTION
A WordPress firewall or any type of firewall that sits between your local
network and the internet is the outward layer of security that monitors and, if
necessary, blocks incoming or outgoing network traffic. Essentially, they are
your first layer of defense.
Packets of data constantly flow back and forth from your home, work, or
school networks. From your desktop and mobile devices. Understandably,
most people have personal information and data stored that they donât want
floating around on the World Wide Web.
3. Types of Firewalls
DNS (Domain Name System) Firewall
As of September 2022, W3Techs reports that 31.2% of all websites using a known web
server, use Apache, a free, open-source web server. It has a security module called
mod_security that acts as a firewall against threats.
Apache Firewall
This type of firewall protects you during the DNS resolving processâthis is whatâs
going on in the background when you try to access a website/domain. A series of
queries are processed and analyzed, looking for security risks. Based on the query
results, requests are either blocked or redirected.
4. NAT (Network Address Translation) Firewall
This type of firewall operates at the router to protect private networks. The only
way traffic can pass through is if a device on the network requested it. And it will
protect your local IP address from being visible on the internet.
Packet-Filtering Firewalls
This firewall checks traffic at the router or switch, inspecting but not opening the
packets. It will check the origin and destination IP addresses, the port number
being used, the packet type, and more.
5. WAF (Web Application Firewall)
They work by monitoring, filtering, and blocking data packets that move
between computers and websites or web applications. They can be host-based,
cloud-based, or network based. In terms of your WordPress site, they are an
essential layer of security.
6. How a WordPress Firewall Works
The WAF (Web Application Firewall) monitors and filters HTTP traffic between
the internet and a web application. Note that WordPress isnât a web application
in and of itself, but it can be used as a web app framework.
Layer 7 only represents a small slice of the huge list of Open Systems
Interconnection model (OSI) that represents the flow of data in a
communication system. This means a firewall can only protect users from
specific types of attacks. And this is why you must never expect that a firewall is
all you need to keep your WordPress site safe.
7. Why You Need a WordPress Firewall
WordPress is incredibly popularâso that means itâs popular with hackers as well. Adding
a WordPress firewall to your site helps you defend against a variety of attacks.
Security threats include:
Attacks against vulnerable plugins, themes, and WP core files
Brute force attacks
Cross-site scripting
Cross-site forgery
Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks
File inclusions
SQL injection attacks
8. Best WordPress Firewall Plugins in 2022
NinjaFirewall is a WordPress plugin that works a bit differently from your
standard plugin since it sits in front of WordPressâit loads before WP to create
the firewall.
Sucuriâs firewall is cloud-based it blocks hacks and attacks before they even reach
your web host.
NinjaFirewall (WP Edition)
Sucuri Web Application Firewall (WAF)
9. All In One WP Security & Firewall
All in One has a lot going for it. Itâs free, itâs a comprehensive package, and itâs user-
friendly. If youâre not the technical type that lives and breathes WordPress, this may
be the choice for you.
10. Conclusion
WordPress firewall is a critical addition to your site, you should be by
now. Remember, your security is made up of multiple layers, and your
firewall is your first. Itâs the bouncer at the door, keeping the
undesirables out.