Understanding WordPress Login Page Security

Introduction

WordPress is a highly popular Content Management System (CMS) that serves millions of websites around the world. However, the default WordPress login page can be accessed by anyone with the website’s URL without any authentication, which may not always be desirable for website owners. The possibility of unauthorized access to the login page poses a significant threat to the website’s security. In this article, we look at various ways to remove WordPress login from a website to enhance its security.

Using a Plugin

One of the easiest ways to remove WordPress login from your website is through a plugin. For instance, the Remove Dashboard Access plugin comes with a multitude of features that allow you to customize your login page, dashboard, and more. This plugin also allows you to control who has access to the WordPress Backend through custom roles. Some other popular plugins include:

WP Private Content Plus

This plugin allows you to make your site entirely private by only allowing logged-in users to access its sections, pages, posts, comments, etc.

Login Lockdown

Login lockdown restricts brute force login attempts by locking out IP addresses after several failed login attempts.

WPS Hide Login

The WPS Hide Login plugin allows you to change the default WordPress login URL to something else entirely.

Password Protection

Another way to restrict access to the WordPress login page is by adding password protection. To use this method, follow the following steps to set up password protection through your web hosting control panel:

Step 1

Log in to your hosting account and navigate to the “Password Protection” menu.

Step 2

Find the directory where the WordPress login page is located (usually “wp-admin” folder) and enable password protection on that folder.

Step 3

Create a user account and password for the directory and save the changes.

Once you’ve set up password protection, anyone attempting to access the WordPress login page will need to enter a valid username and password to proceed. This process makes the login process secure because the attacker must know both the URL and valid user credentials to log in to the website.

Create a Custom Login Page with Code

If you’re comfortable coding, you can create a custom login page to remove WordPress login from your website. This method is more complex and requires some coding knowledge, but it’s also the most customizable approach. Follow these steps:

Step 1

Create a new page on your website and use an HTML editor to create a login form.

Step 2

Add PHP code to the new page you created to verify user credentials and grant access.

Step 3

Once the user has been authenticated, the page can redirect to any other page on the site, including the WordPress Dashboard.

Creating a custom login page can be challenging if you’re new to coding. But if done right, it could significantly enhance your website’s security.

Deny Access to wp-admin folder with .htaccess

Another way to restrict access to the WordPress login page is by using .htaccess to prevent unauthorized access to the wp-admin folder. This folder contains the login page and other critical administrative files. Therefore, by restricting access to this folder, you can protect your website from unauthorized access. To use this method, you need to create two files: “.htaccess” and “.htpasswd”:

Step 1

Log in to your hosting account using FTP or File Manager and navigate to the root folder of your website.

Step 2

Create a new file called “.htaccess”.

Step 3

Add the following code to the “.htaccess” file:

“`
order deny,allow
deny from all
allow from Your.ip.address.here
“`

Step 4

Save the “.htaccess” file and create another file called “.htpasswd”.

Step 5

Add a user account and password to the “.htpasswd” file.

Once you’ve set up these files, anyone attempting to access the wp-admin folder or the WordPress login page will be denied access unless authorized. You can add multiple users to the .htpasswd file for added security.

Conclusion

Removing WordPress login from your website helps protect your website from unauthorized access and enhance its security. Depending on your needs and skills, you can choose any method discussed above to customize your login page to make it more secure. If you’re concerned about the security of your WordPress website, we recommend using multiple security methods, including keeping your website updated, making regular backups, and installing SSL certificates.