• Resolved Jasnick

    (@jasnick)


    Recently I have been getting WordPress notifications:A user with IP addr 46.17.172.202 has been locked out from signing in or using the password recovery form for the following reason: Used an invalid username ‘n6zqd’ to try to sign in. (I have changed the actual username here).
    What is very interesting is the correct username is “n6Zqd”. Note one of the letters is uppercase. I am getting these notifications for two editors who no longer exist so there seems to be no danger of a hacker getting access to the site.
    Does anyone have any idea how a hacker could obtain such a username given that it is almost correct?
    Thanks

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • Plugin Support wfpeter

    (@wfpeter)

    Hi @jasnick, thanks for your query.

    WordPress to this day does not intend to hide your username and does not consider the intentional leaking of usernames to be a security problem. Instead their recommendation is to use strong passwords and two factor authentication to secure your login page, rather than hide your username. You can read more about this here:
    https://make.wordpress.org/core/handbook/testing/reporting-security-vulnerabilities/#why-are-disclosures-of-usernames-or-user-ids-not-a-security-issue

    For example, Dion Hulse, a core contributor to WordPress, explained the reasoning behind leaked usernames:

    “It has been stated in previous tickets, ‘leaking’ of the username is not deemed a security issue by WordPress.org, as it’s a conscious decision to use the username as the slug in the URL”

    The current stance on this is also evident in the WordPress Codex regarding “Access Control”:

    “One of the top two attack vectors used by cyber criminals is software vulnerabilities and access control. To combat this you must secure any point of entry into your host, WordPress installation or server. This includes employing strong passwords and enabling some form of Multi Factor Authentication.”

    Brute force login attacks are one of the most common attacks that we see and is normal. We see millions of brute force login attempts per hour on WordPress sites protected with Wordfence. Here is a blog post explaining why hackers are interested in your site and then steps you can take to keep your admin account protected: https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2018/03/ask-wordfence-why-is-an-insignificant-site-like-mine-being-attacked/

    To keep yourself protected please carry out the following if you haven’t already done so:

    1) Make sure all admin accounts and those with high level access. e.g. with publisher access, use a very strong password – WordPress can auto generate a very strong password for you on an account page. We recommend using a password manager such as 1password.com to store your complex passwords that are exceedingly difficult to remember.

    2) Set our recommended brute force protection rules. Instructions are in the link below. You can quickly find these options in the Brute Force Protection section on the All Options page: https://www.wordfence.com/help/firewall/brute-force/

    3) Enable two factor authentication for administrators and those with high level access e.g. with publisher access. This feature is on the Wordfence > Login Security page. Instructions are in this link: https://www.wordfence.com/help/tools/two-factor-authentication/

    4) If there are a large amount of login attempts for the same username coming from a large pool of IP addresses then you can also enable the Google reCAPTCHA feature found on the Wordfence > Login Security > Settings page. If you want to limit the number of email alerts that you receive then you can adjust the settings in the Email Alert Preferences section on the All Options page.

    Thanks,

    Peter.

    Thread Starter Jasnick

    (@jasnick)

    Apologies for my very tardy reply to your excellent response. I already have some of your suggestions in place and will enable the others as well.
    Thank you

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

The topic ‘Hacker trying almost correct user-name’ is closed to new replies.