New plugin coming soon: coreSecurity Pro

coreSecurity Pro is a brand new plugin in the last stages of development, scheduled for release on December 4, 2023, to replace the old, and now officially retired, GD Security Toolbox Pro plugin.

The new plugin is in the testing phase and the final development stretch (a few more features are getting some final updates). And, since the new plugin replaces the old plugin, it is best to start from there.

GD Security Toolbox Pro

This plugin has not been updated for a while because of the old code structure that made updates difficult. The major problem was separating the features and upgrading the shared code library from the legacy 2.x version to the latest 4.x library.

This plugin was essentially split into two new plugins: coreActivity (a free plugin for logging WordPress events) and coreSecurity Pro. coreActivity is set to become the main and only logging plugin that all other Dev4Press will use. This plugin was released a few months ago and is available from WordPress.org. coreSecurity will start with the Pro version for now due to the very long wait time on WordPress.org for new plugins, but I hope to have the Lite version released in February or March 2024.

GD Security Toolbox and coreSecurity are not compatible. Due to many differences in how the plugins are set and how the settings are handled, maintaining compatibility is impossible. The new plugin has Setup Wizard to get you started with the setup.

GD Security Toolbox Pro is now officially retired and will remain available for download for six more months, until April 22, 2024. All users with the Dev4Press Plugins Club license will automatically get access to the coreSecurity Pro. You will also get access to the new plugin if you have an active GD Security Toolbox Pro license purchased in the past three years. If you previously had an individual license for GD Security Toolbox Pro, but it is no longer active, and you want to switch to the new coreSecurity Pro plugin, you can contact me, and I will send you a special 50% discount code for the new plugin.

coreSecurity

Plugin Structure

The plugin is based on the Features implementation, where every feature is optional and controlled individually. The plugin has only a few global settings; everything else is feature-based. The first release of coreSecurity has 20+ features included. Most features are based on the old plugin, and some are completely new. Antispam, Headers, and Firewall features are significantly updated and expanded.

Plugin heavily relies on coreActivity, and it is essential to have that plugin installed and active.

Included Features

coreSecurity Pro version 1.0 will have 22 features, 3 Inspectors, a Dictionary, and Security Logs (from the coreActivity plugin). It will add three new database tables. Five features will always be enabled (depending on the system specifications). AntiSpam is split into multiple features. It will have an AntiSpam Core feature that is always active and contains all the AntiSpam processing code used by individual AntiSpam features. Individual AntiSpam features include support for detecting and removing spam for Comments, Trackbacks, bbPress Topics, bbPress Replies, Gravity Forms, Contact Form 7, Forminator, and Formidable plugins.

For security headers, the plugin has three features and supports a total of 10 security headers, including CSP. It will include a Scanner feature that will run integrity and malware scans; it will include Firewall, Login Limiters, and Registration control features.

The plugin will be packed with settings and aims to work with different server configurations, allowing everyone to get the maximum from the plugin.

Plugin Licensing

coreSecurity has only the Pro version for now, and it is the first plugin to require a license code through plugin settings to allow access to various Dev4Press API endpoints. The plugin can update various things needed to keep all security measures current via API. The plugin pricing will start from $59 for a single domain annual license. It will be part of the Dev4Press Plugins Club too.

Plugin Rollout

Barring any additional issues, the plugin will be released on December 7, 2023. Plugin information pages will be available the weekend before that date, and documentation will be published too.