5 best website security check tools
February 15. 2021
In the era of the internet, the development of websites has come a long way. Once we had static websites with merely an informational purpose. But now, they are complex creations that encompass the implementation of everything from SEO to User-Experience. However, there is one aspect of development that stands out as a fundamentally essential part of every serious website. It’s website security. With so many people spending their time on various websites, it’s crucial to ensure the security of data. From both website owner standpoint to visitors privacy matters, you need to make sure your website doesn’t have any potential vulnerabilities. For this reason, there is a number of free and commercial website security check tools that can help you detect and resolve any issues. All you have to do is to pick the best among them.
Top website security check tools to protect from vulnerabilities
Up until now, there are thousands of security issues discovered on all types of websites. Everything from malware and viruses to various threats and exploits. Obviously, it becomes crucial to protect your website from these threats by regularly scanning your website. For this, you can either use someone like the WP Full Care team to manage your website’s development, security, and maintenance. Or, you can try to learn how to properly use some of the security check tools, and consider further steps.
Some of the most common methods you can use to secure the website are:
- Security and vulnerability check on a regular basis
- HTTPS communication protocols
- SSL certificates for encrypted connection
- Regular updates and backups
- Choosing a secure host
- and many more
To help you with security and vulnerability scans, you can find numerous tools on the market. However, they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Some are focused on general security practices, while others might be more specialized in WordPress. So, without any endorsement and in no particular order, here is the list of some of the best security check tools you can combine:
- Sucuri
- Unmask Parasites
- Intruder
- SiteGuarding
- WPScan
Sucuri
The Sucuri offers some of the most popular solutions that can automatically scan for breaches and threats. What further increases its credibility is that it’s used by some of the big names like GoDaddy, WP Engine, Yoast, and others. Basically, you can use their free Sucuri SiteCheck to quickly scan your website for malware, blacklisting, and outdated software. And it will offer some suggestions about what measures to take. It also recognizes different platforms like WordPress, Magento, and others.
In addition, for WordPress, you can use the Sucuri Security WordPress plugin with some hardening features:
- Security Activity Auditing
- File Integrity Monitoring
- Notifications
- and many more.
Or you can search for some of their premium security platforms if you need more integrated solutions. The only drawback is that SiteCheck can’t access files on your server.
Price: SiteCheck and plugin are free. More proactive protection costs start at $199.99/year.
Unmask Parasites
Blogs, forums, CMS, galleries, and similar websites are particularly vulnerable to exploits. This is where Unmask Parasites, another tool under the Sucuri wings, shines. This minimalistic online scanning tool can discover all types of malware on your website. In general, it reveals malicious scripts, exposed pages, and malevolent external links on each of your pages. It relies on signature and pattern matching methods to discover any known malware from the database. However, this is at the same time its weakness because it can sometimes give a false alert for it doesn’t cope well with the most recent threats. On the other side, it may show you it’s time to look for security experts that can help you maintain your website.
Price: Free
Intruder
The Intruder is a cloud-based solution that scans your website for any security issues. Essentially, it operates on the enterprise-grade security engine used by banks and governments. However, it offers a simple and intuitive interface despite its power. While also prioritizing scan results to save you valuable time. Among many excellent features it offers:
- Identification of misconfiguration
- Detects missing patches
- Identifies CMS issues
- Continuous monitoring
Price: Starting from $97/month for the Essential to over $1,195/month for complete enterprise protection with the Verified package. However, you can get a free 30-day trial.
SiteGuarding
If you need tools compatible with WordPress and other platforms, SiteGuarding offers some of the most efficient website security options you can find. Generally, you can use it to check your domain for any malware, spam, blacklisting, and other issues.
To start with, here is the list of some of the most notable features SiteGuarding is offering:
- All types of security alerts
- Regular scanning and monitoring of files and their changes
- Search engine blacklist monitoring
- Website Firewall
- Clean and secure backups
- Immediate vulnerability fixtures
- 24/7 quality live customer support
In addition, SiteGuarding offers several free online tools like:
- Website Malware Scanner
- Website Spam Scanner
- Outbound Link Scanner
- Blacklist Checker
- Free Version of WordPress Security Suite
Price: Various tools for free and also paid suits like the Business package for up to $99.95/month.
WPScan is one of the best website security check tools
Ultimately, when maintaining your website and need solutions specifically designed for WordPress, WPScan is among the best for detecting vulnerabilities. It basically comes with plenty of necessary features perfectly convenient for any WordPress website owner.
Their WPScan CLI tool uses a database with over 21,000 known WordPress vulnerabilities. And, is free for non-commercial use. In essence, it’s a black box security scanner made by professionals for their own use in the first place. Comparatively, you can use it to find any potential irregularities in a WordPress core, themes, and plugins. There are, however, two general directions you can follow. Either by installing it on a server or by using their cloud scanning option. With this intention, there are various features WPScan offers:
- Enumeration scans that detect the attacking threats
- Two-factor authentication
- Increased detection of theme and plugin vulnerabilities
- Enhanced username and password protection
In addition, you can configure Email alerts so you immediately receive any notice in your inbox.
Price: Basically, it’s free. But, if you require additional scans there are premium options you need to pay for, depending on the quantity.
By using and combining these best website security check tools, you can easily make your website completely secure. However, checking and discovering are only the first steps you need to take. For ensured protection over a longer period of time, you can look for their monitoring solutions. Depending on the scale of your business, for example, you might need to go beyond free options.