Brute-force protection for WordPress sites is the set of safeguards that stops bots from hammering your login and guessing passwords over and over until they get in.
These attacks usually target /wp-login.php (the normal login screen) and sometimes /xmlrpc.php (an older remote-access feature) because both can be used to submit repeated login attempts. Even if you use strong passwords, unlimited login attempts can still create risk and can also spike server load, slow your site, and trigger downtime during a busy day.
Good brute-force protection is less about “hiding WordPress” and more about putting speed bumps in front of automated traffic while keeping real users (you, your staff, your vendor) able to log in normally.
- Login attempt limits and lockouts: after a set number of failed tries, the system temporarily blocks that IP address or username.
- Rate limiting: slows down repeated requests so bots cannot try thousands of passwords quickly.
- Two-factor authentication (2FA): even if a password leaks, the extra one-time code can stop the login.
- Firewall or WAF rules: blocks known bad traffic patterns before they reach WordPress.
- IP allowlisting for admins: helpful if your team logs in from a known office or VPN, common for Orlando businesses with a fixed network.
If you are on managed hosting, brute-force protection often happens at the server or network edge, which is ideal because bad traffic gets blocked before it eats CPU and memory. That is one of the reasons many businesses choose managed WordPress hosting for small business sites instead of basic shared hosting.
On a self-hosted WordPress site, brute-force protection is commonly handled with a security plugin, a web application firewall (like a CDN-level firewall), or server tools like Fail2ban, ModSecurity, or host-level rate limiting. If you do not use XML-RPC features (some apps, integrations, or older plugins do), it can also be restricted or disabled to reduce another login pathway.
What we recommend for most local service businesses is simple: turn on login limits, add 2FA for admin accounts, use long unique passwords stored in a password manager, and keep plugins and themes updated and cleaned up. If you want a quick refresher on why WordPress is so widely used (and why it attracts automated attacks), our FAQ on what WordPress is and why businesses use it explains the basics in plain language.
If you tell us where your team logs in from (office, home, remote vendors), we can set brute-force rules that block bot traffic without locking out your real users.
