The problem: malicious bots are everywhere. They try to brute-force passwords, scrape your content, spam your comments, or overwhelm your server with requests. Left unchecked, they can slow your site to a crawl, damage your search rankings, or worse—compromise sensitive data. That’s where our newest security feature comes in.
Table of Contents
Meet the AntiBot Global Firewall
We’ve added AntiBot Global Firewall to our Defender plugin, a sophisticated automated security service that blocks harmful bots and suspicious IPs before they can cause trouble.
Think of it like a 24/7 bouncer for your website—if they’re on the blocklist, they’re not getting in, no matter who you know!
How It Works
AntiBot Global Firewall uses real-time threat intelligence from a network of over 250,000 websites to identify and block around 500,000 suspicious IPs every day. It flags IPs as suspicious based on malicious behaviors, like:
- Multiple failed login attempts
- Repeatedly trying to access pages that don’t exist (404s)
- Attempts to access XML-RPC (a common WordPress attack target)
- Triggering HTTP authentication prompts
- Posting spam comments
Once identified, these IPs are added to a global blocklist that’s updated every 12 hours, so your site is always protected against the latest threats. And because legitimate traffic matters too, every blocked IP is re-reviewed every 7 days to keep the list accurate and fair.
Two Levels of Protection
You can choose the level of strictness that works best for your site:
| Mode | Behavior | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Allows known safe bots (like uptime monitors and analytics crawlers) and ignores minor issues like occasional 404s. | General sites wanting balanced protection. |
| Strict | Blocks all suspicious activity—ideal for high-risk sites or when you’re under active attack. | Sites with sensitive data or recent breach attempts. |
Hosting-Level vs Plugin-Level Protection
If you’re hosting with us, AntiBot runs at the server level—meaning harmful traffic is stopped before it even touches your site. This keeps your site faster and reduces server load.
If you’re using the Defender plugin on another host, you’ll still get protection, but it happens at the plugin level—effective, but with slightly more server resource use.
What If Legitimate Visitors Get Blocked?
Mistakes can happen, but they’re easy to fix using our Security plugin:
- Turn on “Unlock Me”, so real visitors can restore access instantly if they get blocked by accident.
- Use the “Report as Trusted IP” feature in the Hub or plugin to whitelist safe visitors.
Why This Matters for Your Business
This isn’t just about stopping hackers—it’s about:
- Protecting your brand’s reputation from data breaches
- Keeping your site fast for customers and search engines
- Reducing stress so you can focus on running your business, not chasing down security issues
And since it’s always running and always updating, it’s truly a set-it-and-forget-it solution.
Final Word
Your website is your storefront, your portfolio, your business card, and sometimes your main source of income. You wouldn’t leave your office unlocked at night—so why leave your site unprotected?
With AntiBot Global Firewall, you get round-the-clock protection from the bad actors of the web—no complicated setup required.
