Ghostables Defender Lite

Ghostables Defender Lite is a WordPress security plugin designed to provide active defense for WordPress sites. Developed by the team behind Ghostables, it addresses a range of security concerns by offering features such as malware scanning, a firewall, login defense, system hardening, and a tamper-evident audit chain. The plugin is available as a drop-in install and is free to download from the WordPress plugin repository, with additional paid tiers for users who require more advanced capabilities.

The tool organizes its security features into seven module groups. For threat detection, it continuously monitors installed software and files for known threats and unexpected changes, utilizing CVE scanners that draw from Patchstack and WPScan databases, cryptographic file-integrity baselines, malware engines with pattern and ClamAV signatures, and WordPress core and plugin checksum verification. Suspicious files can be quarantined, and the system provides plugin reputation and abandonment signals. The perimeter security includes a firewall and web application firewall (WAF), with manual IP allow/block controls, country and region blocking, AbuseIPDB threat intelligence synchronization (in higher tiers), bot verification, proxy and VPN detection, and a community-shared blocklist.

Account security is reinforced through features like login lockouts, custom login URL masking, two-factor authentication (supporting TOTP and WebAuthn), pwned-password checks via Have I Been Pwned, login CAPTCHA, per-country login geo-blocking, and active session management. php integrity monitoring, security headers, and the ability to disable PHP execution in uploads. For backup and recovery, encrypted database backups and offsite destinations are available in paid plans, along with GDPR data-export pipelines and compliance reporting.

Monitoring and audit functions log every admin action, defensive event, and login attempt to a tamper-evident chain, with features like anomaly detection, operator activity feeds, uptime monitoring, and incident reporting. Operator controls include an extra security layer above wp-admin, operator PIN and dedicated 2FA, action throttling, webhook integrations, Cloudflare rule sync, plugin allowlisting, site lockdown, and white-label trust badges (features vary by tier). Ghostables Defender Lite can be used standalone or paired with Ghostables for WordPress, with bundled licensing options available for those using both products. The free tier is suitable for solo blogs and small business sites, while paid tiers unlock additional features and support.