Securing WordPress User Authentication with Two-Factor Authentication

Welcome to the Topic “Securing WordPress User Authentication with Two-Factor Authentication”

To get into a WordPress website, you require two things: either your email address or username and also the respective password. These steps are not just easy for you alone but even for the malicious person who would want to break into your website. If they can get access to your login and password, they will have complete access to your admin panel.

You are probably aware of the potential consequences if they get access to your website. They will be in command of your website and may do whatever they want. To safeguard yourself, consider using two-factor authentication on WordPress. If you’re unfamiliar with this type of protection or wish to set it up, this article will walk you through the process.

After reading it, you’ll understand why you should utilize two-factor authentication and how to configure it on your WordPress installation using two alternative approaches.

How does two-factor authentication work?

Two-factor authentication is a mechanism for safeguarding a user account. On WordPress, you may safeguard access to the administration interface by adding an extra layer of security to password authentication.

This is how it works.

• First, you must enter your username and password on the administrator login page. This is what you typically do when you want to visit your WordPress site.
• To gain access to the admin, you must then authenticate yourself a second time, using a device or service you own. This may be a smartphone, where you input a code to confirm the connection attempt.

That’s why we call it double authentication: to log in to WordPress, you must first identify yourself twice.

Options available for second-factor authentication

Now that you understand how two-factor authentication works. You might be wondering what options you have to identify yourself once the first stage is completed. Well, the second factor can take a variety of forms, including:

• An authentication code provided via SMS or email
• Push notifications
• Authenticator applications, such as Google Authenticator
• Biometrics (fingerprints or retina scans)
• Security Questions
• Time-Based One-Time Password (ToTP)

Why should you activate two-factor authentication for WordPress?

While dual authentication adds an extra step to the login process, it does have one significant advantage: it secures access to your admin interface.

By using this method:

• Secure the administrator account

Double authentication increases the security of your admin area. Even if you choose a simple password, you may still safeguard your site using the other type of authentication.

• Reduce the danger of hacking

Websites save personal information about their consumers, such as contact information and credit card numbers. Dual-factor authentication reduces the danger of hacking and ensures the protection of sensitive information.

• You limit brute-force attacks

In brute force attacks, bots access your WordPress login page and try to find out your site’s admin account username and password by trying different combinations in an attempt to take control of it. If they do succeed, double authentication will prohibit them from accessing your WordPress admin panel.

Now that the need for setting up two-factor authentication is clearer, we can move on to how to set it up to better secure your website.

Plugins for two-factor authentication

The intriguing aspect of being on WordPress is that you can accomplish practically any operation using a plugin. Two-factor authentication is not an exception. You should not take your login security lightly because it is so vital. That is why website owners pay close attention, and dual authentication plugins are quite popular.

First, you need to select a WordPress plugin that supports dual authentication. If you search the WordPress repository for two-factor authentication plugins, you’ll get plenty of results.

To make your job easier, here are some of the best ones:

• Two-Factor
• Two Factor Authentication
• miniOrange’s Google Authenticator
• WP 2FA
• Google Authenticator
• Duo Two-Factor Authentication

Set up two-factor authentication for your WordPress website

To set up two-factor authentication in WordPress, we will use WP 2FA as an example but the process is generally the same for each with a few differences.

1. Install and activate the plugin

Navigate to Add New Plugins, search for WP 2FA, install, and activate the plugin.

• Select the two-factor authentication method

WordPress supports several authentication methods. The first step in using WordPress 2FA is to pick your preferred method. This plugin supports the most common authentication applications such as:

• Authy 
• Google Authenticator
• Microsoft Authenticator
• Duo Security
• LastPass
• FreeOTP
• Okta Verify

The plugin will also contain links to instructions on how to configure the authentication methods. You will then be requested to select an authentication mechanism for your users. You have two choices for the double authentication factor:

• One-time code delivered via 2FA App (TOTP)
• One-time code delivered via email (HOTP)

It also provides a backup

WP 2FA provides an alternative way to work if the original approach fails. That is why the secondary method will not function as a primary method. You can use the backup codes to seek assistance if the first choices are unavailable for some reason.

Next, determine the user roles for two-factor authentication

There are three different alternatives, and you may select the best one for your needs.

• All users: If you select this option, all users must log in using two-factor authentication, regardless of their user role.
• Only for certain users and roles: This option allows you to limit two-factor authentication depending on user groups.
• Do not enforce on any users: This makes dual authentication optional for users. Users will select whether or not to activate it.

Conclusion

Dual authentication on WordPress is an excellent technique to improve the security of your website. For example, it enables you to better secure your website from brute force attacks. Two-factor authentication is an excellent technique to protect your WordPress login from being compromised by hackers. There are many plugins available to make this easy. All you need to do is install a strong plugin and set the parameters properly. Although this article describes how to set up two-factor authentication on your website, we’d also like to advise you to be vigilant about overall security. That implies you should develop a secure password for your website and use security or anti-spam plugins.

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