Enterprise WordPress Firewall Protection
Lightweight web application firewall blocks SQL injection, XSS, XML-RPC attacks, and malicious bots. Enterprise security without the enterprise overhead.
Understanding Web Application Firewalls
A WAF protects your WordPress site from application-layer attacks that traditional network firewalls miss.
What WAFs Protect Against
- ⚠SQL Injection: Attackers manipulating database queries to steal or modify data
- ⚠Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Injecting malicious scripts to hijack user sessions
- ⚠XML-RPC Abuse: Exploiting WordPress APIs for amplification attacks
- ⚠Path Traversal: Accessing sensitive files outside webroot
- ⚠Malicious Bots: Automated scanners looking for vulnerabilities
How WAFs Work
1. Request Inspection
Every HTTP request is analyzed before reaching WordPress
2. Pattern Matching
Malicious patterns (SQL keywords, XSS vectors) are detected
3. Block or Allow
Legitimate requests pass through, attacks are blocked immediately
Saurity Firewall Protection Layers
Multi-layer defense system with intelligent pattern detection and fail-safe architecture.
Core Firewall Rules
Essential protections against common WordPress attack vectors, active from installation.
🛡️ XML-RPC Blocking
Blocks xmlrpc.php to prevent DDoS amplification and brute force attacks via Pingback API
⚡ POST Flood Protection
Rate limits POST requests to prevent comment spam and form abuse
📁 Sensitive Path Protection
Blocks direct access to wp-config.php, .htaccess, and other critical files
🔒 HTTP Method Abuse
Restricts dangerous HTTP methods (TRACE, DELETE, PUT) not used by WordPress
SQL Injection Detection
Multi-layer pattern detection with URL decoding catches encoded and obfuscated SQL injection attempts.
Technical: Uses multi-pass URL decoding to catch nested encoding attacks (e.g., double or triple URL encoding that simpler filters miss).
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Protection
Detects malicious JavaScript injection attempts in URLs, forms, and headers.
Note: XSS protection works alongside WordPress's built-in escaping functions for defense in depth.
Malicious Bot Detection
Blocks known malicious user agents and suspicious referer patterns used by scrapers and vulnerability scanners.
🤖 User Agent Blocking
- • Vulnerability scanners (Nikto, sqlmap)
- • Content scrapers (HTTrack, wget abuse)
- • Spam bots (SemrushBot abuse)
- • Malware distribution tools
🔗 Referer Checking
- • Blocks spam referers
- • Prevents external POST abuse
- • Detects CSRF attempts
- • Validates comment submissions
Comment Spam Protection
Multi-factor spam detection analyzes comment content, patterns, and behavior.
📊 Link Analysis
Blocks comments with excessive links (configurable threshold)
🔤 Pattern Detection
Identifies spam keywords and pharmaceutical terms
📢 CAPS Detection
Flags excessive uppercase text typical of spam
📧 Email Validation
Blocks temporary/disposable email addresses
Advanced Security Features
Additional layers of protection for sophisticated attacks and persistent threats.
🐌 Tarpitting
Intentionally slows down suspected attackers to waste their resources
🌐 Subnet Blocking
Blocks entire IP ranges used by botnets and VPS abuse
🍯 Honeypot Detection
Hidden form fields catch automated bots (zero false positives)
⏱️ Timing Analysis
Detects bots through abnormal form submission speeds
Lightweight & High-Performance
Enterprise security without the enterprise overhead. Saurity's firewall is optimized for speed.
Request Overhead
Firewall adds less than 5 milliseconds per request
Database Queries
All checks run before WordPress loads, no DB overhead
Memory Usage
Minimal memory footprint for firewall rules
How It Stays Fast
- •Early Execution: Firewall runs before WordPress fully loads, reducing overhead
- •Optimized Regex: Pattern matching uses efficient algorithms, not brute force
- •Short-Circuit Logic: Stops checking once a threat is identified
- •No External Calls: All checks are local, no API lookups or remote databases
IP Management
Fine-grained control with allowlists and blocklists supporting individual IPs and CIDR ranges.
Allowlist
Trusted IPs that bypass all firewall checks and rate limiting. Perfect for:
- ✓Office IP addresses
- ✓Your personal static IP
- ✓Monitoring services
- ✓Trusted API clients
Blocklist
Permanently banned IPs that cannot access your site. Ideal for:
- ×Known attacker IPs
- ×Botnet IP ranges
- ×Spam sources
- ×Abusive scrapers
CIDR Range Support
Both allowlist and blocklist support CIDR notation for blocking entire subnets. This is useful for:
- •
/24= 256 IPs (common for office networks) - •
/22= 1,024 IPs (common for VPS/hosting providers) - •
/16= 65,536 IPs (large networks or botnet ranges)
Firewall Configuration
Every firewall feature can be enabled, disabled, or fine-tuned in Settings → SAURITY.
🛡️ Core Protection
Basic firewall rules (XML-RPC, POST flood, path protection)
💉 SQL Injection Detection
Multi-layer SQLi pattern detection with URL decoding
🔐 XSS Protection
Cross-site scripting detection in all request parameters
🤖 User Agent Filtering
Block malicious bots and vulnerability scanners
📝 Comment Spam Protection
Multi-factor spam detection with configurable thresholds
⚡ General Request Throttling
DoS protection with configurable rate limits
🐌 Tarpitting
Intentionally slow down suspected attackers
🌐 Subnet Blocking
Block entire IP ranges used by botnets
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a WordPress web application firewall?
A web application firewall (WAF) inspects incoming HTTP requests to WordPress and blocks malicious patterns like SQL injection, XSS attacks, and brute force attempts before they reach your site. It acts as a protective layer between the internet and your WordPress installation.
How does Saurity detect SQL injection attacks?
Saurity uses multi-layer pattern detection with URL decoding to identify SQL injection attempts. It detects common patterns like UNION SELECT, OR 1=1, DROP TABLE, and encoded variations that attackers use to bypass simple filters.
Will the firewall slow down my WordPress site?
No. Saurity's firewall runs before WordPress fully loads, with lightweight pattern matching that adds less than 5ms overhead per request. It's designed for performance while maintaining security.
What is XML-RPC and why should I block it?
XML-RPC is a WordPress API that enables remote publishing and pingbacks. However, it's frequently abused for brute force attacks and DDoS amplification. Saurity blocks XML-RPC by default since most modern sites don't need it.
Can the firewall cause false positives?
Saurity is designed to minimize false positives through intelligent pattern detection and allowlisting. However, if you experience issues, you can add your IP to the allowlist or adjust firewall rules in Settings → SAURITY.
Fail-Safe Architecture
The firewall is designed to fail open, never blocking legitimate traffic even if errors occur.
Allowlist Priority
Allowlisted IPs bypass all firewall checks, ensuring admins always have access even during attack mitigation.
Kill Switch
One-click disable in admin settings turns off all firewall enforcement instantly without deactivating the plugin.
Fail-Open Logic
If the firewall encounters any error or uncertainty, it allows the request through rather than blocking access.
Security Philosophy
Saurity prioritizes site availability over aggressive blocking. A blocked legitimate user is worse than a missed attack. The firewall uses conservative patterns and multiple fail-safes to ensure false positives are extremely rare.
Protect Your WordPress Site Today
Enterprise-grade firewall protection that's lightweight, fail-safe, and completely free. Stop SQL injection, XSS, and bot attacks in under 5 minutes.
Learn More
Login Security
Learn how progressive rate limiting protects against brute force attacks without admin lockouts.
Read more →All Features
Complete overview of Saurity's security features, configuration options, and technical details.
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