Hardening Scanner & Auto-Fix

The hardening scanner identifies security weaknesses in your WordPress installation and provides actionable recommendations to fix them.

Running a Scan

Navigate to WPSEC → Hardening to view and run scans:

1. Click Run Scan to start a new security assessment.
2. The scanner checks file permissions, configuration settings, exposed endpoints, and known vulnerabilities.
3. Results appear as a prioritized list of findings with severity levels.

Understanding Findings

Each finding includes:

• Severity — Critical, High, Medium, or Low priority.
• Description — What the issue is and why it matters.
• Recommendation — Step-by-step instructions to resolve the issue.
• Status — Whether the issue is open, fixed, or ignored.

One-Click Hardening Profiles

WPSEC offers predefined hardening profiles for common scenarios:

• Basic — Essential security measures suitable for all sites.
• Standard — Recommended settings for production websites.
• Strict — Maximum protection for high-security environments.

Select a profile to apply multiple hardening measures at once.

Auto-Fix (PRO)

With WPSEC PRO, the scanner can automatically fix many common issues:

1. Findings marked with the auto-fix icon can be resolved automatically.
2. Click Auto-Fix next to a finding to apply the fix.
3. WPSEC creates an undo snapshot before applying changes.
4. If anything goes wrong, use the Undo button to revert.

Scheduled Scans

Configure automatic scans in WPSEC → Settings → Scans:

• Set scan frequency (daily, weekly, or custom)
• Choose which checks to include
• Enable email notifications for new findings

Tip: Start with the Basic hardening profile and work your way up. Always test changes on a staging site first if possible.