Critical Issue Monitoring & Alerts with Wordfence

🔐 Wordfence Configuration: Critical Issue Monitoring & Alerts Only

This guide outlines how to configure Wordfence to monitor and alert you only for critical security events such as malware infections, site compromise, and severe plugin vulnerabilities.

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🔧 Step-by-Step Setup to Monitor Critical Issues Only

1. Access Wordfence Dashboard

• Log in to your WordPress site.
• Navigate to the Wordfence tab in the left-hand menu.

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🔔 Configure Email Alert Settings

2. Go to Email Alert Preferences

• Go to Wordfence > All Options.
• Scroll to the Email Alert Preferences section.

3. Disable Non-Critical Alerts

Uncheck the following:

• Alert when an IP address is blocked
• Alert when someone is locked out
• Alert when someone uses a breached password
• Alert when an admin logs in
• Alert when Wordfence is deactivated
• Alert when automatic updates are successful

4. Enable Only Critical Alerts

Keep these enabled:

• Alert when a critical problem is found
• Alert me when a site is compromised
• Alert when there’s a plugin/theme with a critical vulnerability

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🛡️ Configure Firewall and Scan Settings

5. Firewall – Set to “Enabled and Protecting”

• Go to Wordfence > Firewall
• Ensure the status is: Enabled and Optimized
• Enable Blocking Mode
• Click Manage Firewall and adjust Brute Force Protection thresholds

6. Scan Options and Scheduling

• Go to Wordfence > Scan > Scan Options and Scheduling
• Scan type: Standard
• Enable scans for:
  • Malware
  • Backdoors
  • SEO spam
• Disable scans for:
  • Disk space
  • Public file listing
  • Weak passwords (if not critical)

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🧪 Advanced Scan Configuration (Optional)

Navigate to All Options > Scan Options to:

• Enable: Check for known malware files
• Enable: Check for malicious URLs
• Disable: Check for modified core files
• Disable: Check for outdated themes or plugins (if not critical)

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🧬 Real-Time Monitoring (Optional but Recommended)

7. Enable Real-Time IP Blacklist

• Go to Wordfence > Firewall > Rate Limiting and Blocking
• Enable Real-Time IP Blacklist (if using premium)

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✅ Summary Configuration Checklist

Setting	Value
Email Alerts	Only critical issues enabled
Firewall	Enabled and optimized
Scan Scheduling	Daily or weekly
Scan Options	Only high-risk items checked
Real-Time IP Blacklist	Enabled (if available)
Plugin/Theme Vulnerability Alerts	Enabled, only critical

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💡 Pro Tip: Want to manage alerts across multiple sites? Export/import Wordfence config JSON or use a central email address for alerts.