WP fail2ban Blocklist
WP fail2ban Blocklist is a collaborative preemptive blocklist for WordPress.
The facts
- Rating
- 5★ from 2
- Active installs
- 3k+
- Price
- Free
- Last updated
- 1 May 2025
- Added
- Feb 2022
- Requires WP
- 4.9
- Tested up to
- WP 6.8.8
- Requires PHP
- 7.4
- Downloads
- 29,237
Our analysis
AI-assistedWP fail2ban Blocklist is a WordPress plugin designed to enhance site security by preemptively blocking malicious IP addresses. It operates by collaborating with a network of participating sites to share attack data, enabling it to provide a unique list of IPs that are currently attacking other sites but have not yet targeted yours.
The plugin requires users to opt into Freemius for its Blocklist Network Service (BNS) to function. It collects minimal data necessary for identifying malicious activity while ensuring compliance with GDPR by not collecting personal data.
Best for: This plugin is suitable for WordPress site owners looking to enhance their site's security against potential attacks.
What it does well
- ✓Preemptively blocks malicious IPs before they attack
- ✓Collaborative data sharing with other sites
- ✓Minimal data collection for GDPR compliance
- ✓No personal data is collected
Where it falls short
- •Requires opting into Freemius for full functionality
- •Limited information on specific features or configurations
Verdict
WP fail2ban Blocklist offers a proactive approach to security by blocking threats before they reach your site. It is a useful tool for those prioritising site protection.
From the developer
invisnet's own description of WP fail2ban Blocklist, lightly tidied.
There are many plugins that use a database to check for malicious IPs after they connect, and of course fail2ban stops repeated attacks, but what if bad IPs could be blocked before they attack?
By working collaboratively – sharing attack data – WP fail2ban Blocklist does exactly that.
The Blocklist Network Service (BNS) collects attack data from participating sites, performs some analytical magic, and sends back a list of IPs that are attacking sites now but haven’t yet attacked that site. In other words, each site periodically gets a unique list of IPs to block preemptively.
GDPR
The BNS doesn’t collect personal data, and bots don’t have rights.
That said, the BNS only collects the minimum data required (time, IP, event), and only for IPs that have behaved maliciously.
Of course, it is possible that some data is generated by people behaving maliciously, but the BNS has no way to differentiate – and nor should it: an attack is an attack.
Freemius
To work, the BNS must know:
- which sites are running the blocklist add-on,
- which version is in use,
- and a shared secret for secure communication.
Freemius already provides all these, and WP fail2ban already uses Freemius; why reinvent the wheel?
Therefore, unlike the core WP fail2ban plugin, you must opt into Freemius for the blocklist to work.