Atomic Edge Security – Firewall, Malware Scan and Login Security

Atomic Edge Security is a WordPress firewall plugin that protects your site with cloud-based WAF rules, malware scanning, 2FA, vulnerability checks, IP blocking, and real-time security logs.

It blocks malicious traffic before it reaches WordPress while giving site owners firewall controls directly inside the WordPress admin.

For site owners comparing edge filtering with plugin-level scanning and firewall overhead, our guide to Wordfence performance and TTFB bottlenecks explains where response-time slowdowns commonly appear and how edge security changes the request path.

WordPress Firewall Protection

Atomic Edge includes a cloud-based WordPress firewall that helps block malicious traffic before it reaches your website. The firewall protects against common attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), local file inclusion, remote file inclusion, brute-force login attempts, and suspicious bot activity.

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

The Atomic Edge WAF uses OWASP Core Rules and WordPress-specific security rules to protect high-risk areas such as wp-login.php, wp-admin, XML-RPC, REST API endpoints, vulnerable plugin paths, and common exploit patterns.

If you are specifically hardening authentication or application endpoints, see our guides for wp-login.php brute force protection and REST API and XML-RPC edge hardening.

Features

• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) – Protect WordPress logins with TOTP authenticator apps (Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.)
• 2FA Enforcement Policies – Require 2FA for specific user roles with configurable grace periods
• 2FA Audit Logging – Complete security audit trail for all 2FA events
• Adaptive Defense – AI-powered threat detection that automatically identifies and blocks malicious actors, including bot patterns that commonly affect WooCommerce checkouts and account flows
• Web Application Firewall (WAF) – Block SQL injection, XSS, and other attacks with OWASP Core Rules while protecting high-risk WordPress entry points such as wp-login.php, XML-RPC, and REST API routes
• Content Delivery Network (CDN) – Serve static assets from global edge servers for faster page loads
• Real-time Analytics – Monitor traffic, blocked threats, and security events in real-time
• IP Access Control – Easily whitelist or blacklist IP addresses and CIDR ranges
• Geographic Blocking – Block or allow access based on visitor country
• Malware Scanner – Scan WordPress files for modifications and suspicious code patterns
• Vulnerability Scanner – Check WordPress core, plugins, and themes for known vulnerabilities (requires Atomic Edge connection)
• WAF Log Viewer – See exactly what threats are being blocked and use the traffic data to troubleshoot abuse patterns such as brute-force login attempts
• WP-CLI Integration – Run security scans from the command line

How It Works

1. Sign up for an Atomic Edge account at atomicedge.io
2. Add your site to Atomic Edge and get your API key
3. Install this plugin and enter your API key
4. Manage your security settings directly from WordPress

Vulnerability scanning is available when connected and uses Atomic Edge’s vulnerability data feed.

Requirements

• PHP 7.4 or higher
• WordPress 5.8 or higher
• An Atomic Edge account (free tier available)
• OpenSSL PHP extension

External Services

This plugin connects to external services provided by Atomic Edge to deliver WAF, CDN, and security features. Below is a detailed explanation of each service, what data is transmitted, and when.

Atomic Edge API

The primary external service this plugin connects to is the Atomic Edge API at https://dashboard.atomicedge.io/api/v1.

What it does:
* Manages your site’s Web Application Firewall (WAF) settings
* Retrieves real-time analytics and traffic data
* Fetches WAF security logs showing blocked threats
* Manages IP whitelist/blacklist and geographic access controls
* Retrieves CDN configuration and status
* Provides vulnerability scanning data for WordPress core, plugins, and themes
* Powers the Adaptive Defense AI-powered threat detection system

What data is sent:
* Your site’s API key (for authentication)
* IP addresses you add to whitelist/blacklist
* Country codes for geographic blocking rules
* CDN optimization settings (asset types, minification preferences)
* Site URL and domain information
* Adaptive Defense settings and blocked IP information

When data is sent:
* When you save settings in the plugin admin pages
* When you view analytics or WAF logs (to fetch data)
* When you run a vulnerability scan
* When you manage IP access control rules
* When Adaptive Defense checks or updates threat status
* Background sync of CDN settings (when CDN is enabled)

Service links:
* Service website: https://atomicedge.io
* Terms of Service: https://atomicedge.io/terms-of-service
* Privacy Policy: https://atomicedge.io/privacy-policy

Malware Signature API

The malware scanner fetches signature patterns from a public API endpoint.

What it does:
* Provides up-to-date malware detection signatures
* Allows scanning without requiring an API key

What data is sent:
* No personal or site-specific data is sent
* Only a GET request to retrieve signature patterns

When data is sent:
* When you initiate a malware scan (if cached signatures have expired)
* Signatures are cached locally for 24 hours

Service links:
* This service is provided by Atomic Edge (same terms and privacy policy as above)

Data Storage

All API responses are cached locally using WordPress transients to minimize external requests. Malware signature data is cached for 24 hours. Analytics data is fetched fresh on each page load but displayed quickly via JavaScript pagination.