How to Enable Firewall & Malware Scan in WordPress

Security should be one of your top priorities when running a WordPress site. Hackers often target vulnerabilities in plugins, themes, or weak passwords. The good news is that you can protect your website effectively with a firewall and malware scanning system — even without writing a single line of code. In this guide, you’ll learn how to enable both using trusted plugins and best practices.

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What Do Firewall and Malware Scans Do?

Firewall (Web Application Firewall – WAF)

A WordPress firewall monitors and filters incoming traffic before it reaches your website. It can block malicious IPs, brute-force attacks, and suspicious queries (SQL injection, XSS, etc.).

• Blocks bad bots and fake crawlers
• Stops brute-force logins
• Prevents known exploits from reaching your site

Malware Scanner

A malware scanner detects and removes infected or suspicious files from your server. It compares your site files to known safe versions and flags anomalies.

• Detects injected code or modified core files
• Scans plugins, themes, and uploads
• Notifies you of security risks

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Step 1: Install a Security Plugin

The easiest way to enable a firewall and malware scanning in WordPress is to use a reputable security plugin. Below are the best options:

1) Wordfence Security (Recommended)

Wordfence provides both a Web Application Firewall (WAF) and a malware scanner in one package.

1. Go to Plugins → Add New.
2. Search for Wordfence Security.
3. Click Install Now → Activate.

After activation, go to Wordfence → Dashboard to configure.

Enable Firewall Protection

1. In the Wordfence menu, go to Firewall.
2. Click Optimize the Wordfence Firewall.
3. Follow the setup wizard — it will prompt you to download your current .htaccess file as a backup and update your configuration automatically.

Once done, your firewall will be active and filtering traffic before WordPress loads.

Run Malware Scan

1. Go to Wordfence → Scan.
2. Click Start New Scan.
3. Wait for the plugin to finish scanning your core files, plugins, themes, and uploads.

Wordfence will highlight suspicious or modified files and suggest fixes or deletions. You can safely delete malicious files directly from the dashboard.

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2) Sucuri Security

Sucuri offers a powerful cloud-based firewall (in its paid plan) and free malware monitoring features in its plugin.

1. Install the Sucuri Security plugin.
2. Go to Security → Dashboard.
3. Enable the following:
   • File integrity monitoring
   • Blacklist monitoring
   • Malware scanning

To activate the WAF, you’ll need to subscribe to Sucuri’s firewall plan and update your DNS settings to route traffic through their servers.

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3) Cloudflare Firewall (Optional Layer)

Cloudflare adds another protection layer before traffic reaches your hosting server. It filters malicious requests and DDoS attacks globally.

1. Create a free Cloudflare account.
2. Add your website and change your domain’s nameservers to Cloudflare’s.
3. Enable the Web Application Firewall (Pro plan and above).
4. Install the Cloudflare WordPress plugin to manage settings easily from your dashboard.

Using Cloudflare with Wordfence provides both a cloud-level and application-level firewall — ideal for comprehensive protection.

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Step 2: Set Up Automatic Scans and Alerts

In Wordfence:

1. Go to Wordfence → Scan.
2. Click Manage Scan Schedule.
3. Set automatic daily or weekly scans.
4. Under Wordfence → All Options → Email Alert Preferences, enable email notifications for:
   • Critical problems
   • Plugin updates
   • Login lockouts

In Sucuri:

Under Alerts, configure notifications to be sent whenever a file change or malware detection occurs.

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Step 3: Best Practices for Ongoing Protection

• ✅ Keep WordPress core, plugins, and themes updated.
• ✅ Use strong, unique passwords (and enable 2FA with Wordfence).
• ✅ Disable XML-RPC if not needed to prevent brute-force attacks.
• ✅ Use SSL (HTTPS) to encrypt user data.
• ✅ Regularly back up your site with a plugin like UpdraftPlus.

You can further harden your WordPress installation by adding the following rule to wp-config.php:

define( 'DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true ); // Prevent editing plugin/theme files in the admin area

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Step 4: Verify Your Site’s Security Status

• Run a scan using Sucuri SiteCheck.
• Check Wordfence logs for blocked IPs and login attempts.
• Review your hosting provider’s security logs for anomalies.

If malware is found, use your plugin’s “Repair” or “Delete” action, or restore from a clean backup.

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Conclusion

Enabling a firewall and malware scan in WordPress dramatically improves your site’s security posture. For most users, Wordfence Security offers the best balance of protection and ease of use. Combine it with Cloudflare for global firewall coverage and automatic blocking of malicious traffic. Regular scanning, strong credentials, and consistent updates will keep your site safe from the majority of WordPress attacks.

Summary: Install Wordfence → Enable Firewall → Run Scan → Schedule Auto-Scans → Stay Updated → Backup Regularly.

🔌 Looking for more? Check out our WordPress Plugins Hub to discover recommended tools and how to use them.