Watchdog Security Lite — Powered by Lumiverse Nexus

Kuvaus

Watchdog Security Lite is the free WordPress security edition powered by the Lumiverse Nexus ecosystem. It brings together active request protection, local malware scanning, vulnerability intelligence, official-file integrity checks, login protection and WooCommerce-aware controls in one security-focused dashboard.

Watchdog Lite is designed to provide useful protection without turning every unusual request into an attack claim. Detection, observation and enforcement are kept distinct wherever possible so site owners can understand what the plugin actually saw and what it actually restricted.

Core security features

  • Traffic Shield Lite – conservative request-abuse protection for suspicious scanning, repeated hostile traffic and selected XML-RPC pressure.
  • Login Guard – login abuse protection with lockout controls designed to avoid treating ordinary mistakes as attacks.
  • Malware Scanner – local PHP/file scanning with high-confidence signatures, changed-file-first routine scanning and MU-plugin coverage.
  • Vulnerability Watch Lite – checks installed WordPress, plugin and theme versions against Nexus vulnerability intelligence and provides severity plus update guidance.
  • Official File Integrity – compares WordPress core and supported WordPress.org components with official checksums or packages.
  • Safe Core Repair – manually restores verified modified or missing WordPress core files after creating a protected restore point.
  • Optional administrator TOTP 2FA – authenticator-app protection and one-time recovery codes, configured separately by each administrator.
  • Security Incident Inbox – groups related security activity into readable incidents.
  • Site Change Watch Lite – records important administrator, plugin, theme and risky file changes.
  • WP-Cron persistence checks – highlights high-confidence suspicious scheduled-task patterns and risky combinations.
  • Watchdog Live Pulse – a real-data visual view of recent traffic, bots and protection activity. It does not invent attack events.
  • Weekly Security Digest – optional once-weekly email summarizing protection activity, scan coverage and important security health signals.
  • Nexus Threat Network Lite – optional shared threat intelligence with selected high-confidence signal contribution and privacy-preserving aggregate security telemetry.

WooCommerce-aware protection

WooCommerce stores receive cart, wishlist, catalog, checkout, AJAX and crawler traffic that should not all be treated as ordinary page requests.
Watchdog Lite includes WooCommerce Bot Cart Guard Lite. When enabled, crawler-claimed and obvious automation may still access public pages while supported cart, wishlist or remove-item mutations are neutralized before they create unwanted shopping state.
Normal shoppers, logged-in users and ordinary browser traffic are not handled by this crawler/automation rule.
For business sites and stores that need earlier request containment, advanced WooCommerce resource protection, deeper incident investigation, richer Threat Network intelligence and recovery workflows, see Lumiverse Nexus PRO.

Optional TOTP two-factor authentication

TOTP 2FA is optional and configured separately by each administrator. It protects the standard WordPress administrator login; API, XML-RPC and application-password authentication remain separate controls. Watchdog Lite does not force 2FA after installation, after an update or when Recommended Local Protection is applied.
The feature works with standard time-based authenticator applications, stores the secret locally and provides one-time recovery codes. Administrators should keep recovery codes in a secure location.

Nexus Threat Network Lite

Nexus Threat Network Lite is disabled by default.

When an administrator enables Threat Intelligence Lite, the site joins the Nexus Threat Network participation model. While enabled, the site can:

  • receive compact shared threat intelligence;
  • contribute selected, high-confidence security signals used to strengthen network intelligence.

Selected verified security signals are a separate part of Threat Network participation and may include the attacking public IP address together with limited security metadata such as event type, rule reference, confidence, request category, aggregated observation count, plugin version and a pseudonymous contributor credential.

Disabling Threat Intelligence Lite stops Threat Network participation and discards unsent aggregate telemetry. Confirmed-match blocking remains a separate protection choice.

Learn more at Nexus Threat Network.

Lite and Nexus PRO

Watchdog Security Lite provides practical security foundations for WordPress sites and WooCommerce stores.

Lumiverse Nexus PRO adds the broader protection and investigation platform, including Early WAF / pre-WordPress protection, advanced WooCommerce resource defense, deeper Threat Network classifications, Security Twin, Threat Constellation, Incident Replay, Threat Continuum and Rescue Center workflows.

Learn more at Lumiverse Nexus PRO.

External Services

Watchdog Security Lite performs routine malware/file scanning locally. Website files and file contents are not uploaded for routine malware scanning.

Lumiverse Nexus services

Watchdog Lite may communicate with services under: lumiversenexus.com

These services provide malware-signature updates, vulnerability intelligence and Nexus Threat Network functions.

Signature and vulnerability intelligence: requests may include normal HTTPS connection information and the public component information needed to retrieve the relevant intelligence. Installed component versions are evaluated locally. Website files, page content, usernames, passwords, customer data and order data are not uploaded for these checks.
Threat Network participation: While enabled, selected high-confidence verified security signals may include an attacking public IP address plus limited security metadata such as event type, rule reference, confidence, request category, aggregated observation count, plugin version and a pseudonymous contributor credential.

Threat Network registration does not require a customer name, email address, WordPress username, license key or site URL.

Service information: Lumiverse Nexus Privacy Notice and Terms of Service.

Kuvankaappaukset

Asennus

  1. Go to WordPress Dashboard -> Plugins -> Add New.
  2. Search for ”Watchdog Security Lite”.
  3. Install and activate the plugin.
  4. Open Watchdog Lite from the WordPress admin menu.
  5. Review the dashboard and choose the protection settings appropriate for your site.
  6. Threat Intelligence Lite, Weekly Security Digest and administrator TOTP 2FA remain optional.

Manual installation:

  1. Upload the plugin folder to /wp-content/plugins/.
  2. Activate the plugin from the Plugins screen.
  3. Open Watchdog Lite and review the dashboard.

UKK

Is administrator 2FA mandatory?

No. TOTP 2FA is optional, disabled by default and configured separately by each administrator. Recommended Local Protection does not enable it.

What does Threat Intelligence Lite share?

Threat Intelligence Lite is disabled by default. When you enable it, the site receives Nexus community intelligence and participates in the Threat Network.
Selected verified security signals may include an attacking public IP address and limited security metadata needed for network intelligence. Separately, privacy-preserving aggregate telemetry sends security-event counts in time buckets only and does not include raw IP addresses, the site URL/domain, request URLs, usernames, cookies, request bodies, page content, or WooCommerce customer/order data.
Passwords, cookies, form contents, email addresses, customer/order data and full page content are not shared through Threat Network participation.

Does the scanner upload my website files?

No. Routine malware/file scanning is performed locally. Remote services provide security intelligence and signatures; your website files are not uploaded for routine malware scanning.

Does the scanner include MU-plugins?

Yes. Malware scanning includes the actual WordPress MU-plugin directory when MU-plugin scanning is enabled. Recommended Local Protection can also enable MU-plugin Live Watch coverage.

Does Safe Core Repair change plugins, themes or wp-content?

No. Lite Safe Core Repair replaces only verified modified or missing WordPress core files represented in the official checksum set. It excludes wp-content, wp-config.php and server configuration files, and creates a protected restore point first.

What is Watchdog Live Pulse?

It is a lightweight visual view of real activity already observed by Watchdog Lite, including recent requests, bots and protection events. It does not generate simulated attacks.

Is Watchdog Lite suitable for WooCommerce?

Yes. It includes conservative store-aware traffic protection and optional bot cart-action neutralization. Lumiverse Nexus PRO adds the broader WooCommerce resource-defense and investigation layers intended for higher-pressure business stores.

Arvostelut

4.6.2026
I installed the plugin on a few WordPress websites to test it and was pleasantly surprised. The plugin is lightweight, easy to configure and provides useful security monitoring features without affecting site performance. I especially like the file change monitoring and security checks, which can help identify problems before they become serious. Looking forward to future updates. Great work by the developer.
Lue kaikki 1 arvostelua.

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Avustajat

Muutosloki

4.1.0

  • Added an optional Weekly Security Digest with a clear seven-day summary of protection activity and security health.
  • Added clearer WooCommerce pressure visibility and scanner coverage status.
  • Improved first-run choices and reinforced cache safety for security-sensitive and WooCommerce session responses.

4.0.17

  • Improved protection reliability and efficiency under high-traffic conditions.
  • Improved malware and file-monitoring coverage handling on larger WordPress installations.
  • Refined compatibility, security intelligence and background processing.

4.0.16

  • Improved Integrity Center accuracy for WordPress.org, private and temporarily unavailable component comparisons.
  • Refined managed-host compatibility and repository-status presentation.

4.0.15

  • Expanded XML-RPC restriction telemetry coverage across active Lite protection layers.
  • Refined low-overhead Threat Network aggregation and cleanup behavior.

4.0.14

  • Expanded Nexus Threat Network participation with privacy-preserving aggregate security telemetry when Threat Intelligence Lite is enabled.

4.0.13

  • Expanded the Nexus Threat Network client with privacy-focused contributor registration, efficient batched sharing and resilient intelligence delivery.

4.0.12

  • Improved Official File Integrity and Safe Core Repair workflows for verified WordPress core restoration.

4.0.10

  • Refined security notifications so important findings are easier to identify without unnecessary email noise.

4.0.9

  • Improved scanner trust handling for verified first-party security runtime artifacts.

4.0.8

  • Expanded official-source verification to improve scanner and integrity confidence for trusted WordPress files.
  • Introduced the Nexus-styled Lite dashboard, Live Pulse, Incident Inbox, Vulnerability Watch, TOTP 2FA, WooCommerce-aware protection and the current security architecture.

3.8.3

  • Improved visitor IP detection for Traffic Shield Lite and Login Guard, including safer Cloudflare/proxy handling.
  • Minor security and reliability refinements.

3.8.2

  • Strengthened WooCommerce-aware protection messaging, scanner signal quality, alert clarity and Threat Network visibility.
  • Improved safe handling for logged-in users in Traffic Shield Lite.

3.8.1

  • Improved the Lite dashboard, Free Security Audit and WooCommerce-aware presentation.
  • Refined the WordPress.org readme and public plugin presentation.

3.8.0
– Improved Threat Intelligence Lite compatibility with newer Watchdog network classifications.
– Improved logged-in user handling in Traffic Shield Lite.
– Refined conservative handling of high-risk intelligence in Lite.

3.7.6
– Threat Intelligence Lite defaults to explicit administrator opt-in.
– Lite feed updates automatically in the background when enabled.
– Added safer sharing support for selected login and XML-RPC attack signals.
– Improved public privacy wording.

3.7.5
– Improved Threat Intelligence Lite settings and status display.
– Refined Lite signal handling.

3.7.4
– Simplified Threat Intelligence Lite controls.
– Improved Lite intelligence contribution wording.

3.7.3
– Improved Lite threat signal handling.
– Refined exploit-path and scanner-pattern handling.

3.7.2
– Improved Threat Intelligence Lite record display.

3.7.1
– Improved Threat Intelligence Lite UI labels.

3.7.0
– Added Free Security Audit, Site Change Watch Lite and Threat Intelligence Lite.
– Refreshed Lite dashboard experience.

3.6.6
– Refined Lite scanner and Traffic Shield behavior.

3.6.5
– Improved dashboard and settings presentation.

3.6.3
– Refined hardening and visitor protection behavior.

3.6.2
– Improved Live Watch and scanner status display.

3.6.1
– Improved Lite admin UI and recommended setup.

3.6.0
– Added safer Lite scanner and hardening improvements