Prevent Vulnerability Scanners from Detecting WordPress
How to Prevent Vulnerability Scanners from Detecting WordPress
Preventing vulnerability scanners from detecting that you're using WordPress for your website is an essential aspect of security through obscurity. While this won’t replace other important security practices such as patching and hardening, hiding the fact that your site uses WordPress can make it more difficult for attackers to target known vulnerabilities. Here are several strategies to help you obfuscate WordPress from vulnerability scanners.
1. Change Default URLs and Paths
WordPress has many default URLs and file paths that scanners can easily detect. Changing these can help conceal that you're using WordPress.
Hide wp-admin and wp-login.php
Use plugins like WPS Hide Login to change the login URL from /wp-admin or /wp-login.php to something less obvious (e.g., /mycustomlogin). This prevents scanners from detecting these URLs, which are often a clear indication of WordPress usage.
Change wp-content Directory
You can move or rename the wp-content directory where themes, plugins, and media files are stored. Add the following to your wp-config.php:
define('WP_CONTENT_DIR', dirname(__FILE__) . '/my-content');
define('WP_CONTENT_URL', 'http://example.com/my-content');
2. Remove WordPress Version Information
By default, WordPress outputs version information in various places, such as HTML meta tags and RSS feeds. This makes it easier for scanners to detect your version of WordPress and target specific vulnerabilities.
Remove Version from Header
Add the following code to your theme’s functions.php file to remove the WordPress version from the HTML source:
remove_action('wp_head', 'wp_generator');
Remove Version from RSS Feeds
You can also remove the WordPress version from RSS feeds by adding:
add_filter('the_generator', '__return_null');
Disable Version in Scripts and Styles
To remove the WordPress version number from your scripts and styles, add this code to functions.php:
function remove_version_from_scripts_and_styles($src) {
if (strpos($src, 'ver=')) {
$src = remove_query_arg('ver', $src);
}
return $src;
}
add_filter('style_loader_src', 'remove_version_from_scripts_and_styles', 9999);
add_filter('script_loader_src', 'remove_version_from_scripts_and_styles', 9999);
3. Obfuscate WordPress Themes and Plugins
Scanners often detect WordPress by analyzing the file structure, especially themes and plugins. You can obscure this by:
Rename Theme Folder
Rename your theme folder from something like /wp-content/themes/twentytwentyone to something more generic (e.g., /wp-content/themes/my-site-theme). Ensure to update the theme name in the WordPress dashboard so it matches the new folder name.
Disable Directory Indexing
Prevent directory listings that reveal the structure of your WordPress files by adding the following line to your .htaccess file:
Options -Indexes
4. Use Custom Error Pages
Default WordPress error pages (e.g., 404, 403, and 500 errors) often give away that the site is powered by WordPress. Create custom error pages to hide this.
5. Disable WordPress XML-RPC
XML-RPC is commonly used by attackers to find out that you’re using WordPress. You can disable it by adding the following to your .htaccess file:
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from all
6. Use Security Plugins to Harden WordPress
Security plugins can help you hide key WordPress characteristics and provide additional security features. Some of the most useful plugins include:
- Wordfence Security: Provides comprehensive protection, including login protection and real-time threat monitoring.
- Hide My WP: Specializes in obfuscating WordPress by hiding common file paths and renaming elements.
- iThemes Security: Allows you to hide the WordPress version, change file permissions, and rename default directories.
7. Disable Unnecessary Features
WordPress includes several features that can reveal your platform. Disable them if they are unnecessary for your site.
Disable WordPress Feeds
If your website doesn’t need RSS feeds, disable them using this code in functions.php:
function disable_feed() {
wp_die('No feed available.');
}
add_action('do_feed', 'disable_feed', 1);
add_action('do_feed_rdf', 'disable_feed', 1);
add_action('do_feed_rss', 'disable_feed', 1);
add_action('do_feed_rss2', 'disable_feed', 1);
add_action('do_feed_atom', 'disable_feed', 1);
Disable WP REST API for Non-Authenticated Users
Restrict the WordPress REST API to authenticated users only:
add_filter('rest_authentication_errors', function($result) {
if (!empty($result)) {
return $result;
}
if (!is_user_logged_in()) {
return new WP_Error('rest_not_logged_in', 'You are not currently logged in.', array('status' => 401));
}
return $result;
});
8. Hide Common WordPress Identifiers in HTTP Headers
HTTP headers can give away that you’re using WordPress. By modifying your server configuration, you can remove these headers.
Hide X-Powered-By Header
For Apache, add this to your .htaccess file:
Header unset X-Powered-By
For Nginx:
add_header X-Powered-By "";
9. Modify Robots.txt
Ensure your robots.txt file does not reveal sensitive paths like /wp-admin. Add the following lines:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /wp-admin/
Disallow: /wp-login.php
Disallow: /wp-content/
10. Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF)
A Web Application Firewall (WAF) can block scanning attempts and filter suspicious requests before they reach your WordPress installation. Some popular WAF services include:
- Cloudflare: Provides a free WAF and security features that help block vulnerability scanners and bots.
- Sucuri: Offers a firewall and security monitoring services tailored for WordPress protection.
Conclusion
By combining these methods, you can effectively hide the fact that your site is powered by WordPress, reducing the likelihood of automated vulnerability scanners targeting your site. However, security through obscurity should be used alongside other strong security practices, including regular updates, access control, and system hardening.
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