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IP Geo Block

By tokkonopapa

Security & Privacy / Security Scanning & Malware Protection

IP Geo Block Review - In-Depth Analysis

IP Geo Block protects your WordPress site by blocking spam posts and malicious access based on IP geolocation. It prevents brute-force attacks and zero-day exploits.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.84/10

User Rating

4.1/5 (based on 96+ reviews)

Active Installations

9,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

IP Geo Block is designed to enhance the security of your WordPress site by blocking spam posts, login attempts, and malicious access originating from specific countries. This plugin focuses on preventing zero-day exploits and other vulnerabilities that may arise from the installation of themes and plugins.

With features like WP Zero-day Exploit Prevention and WP Metadata Exploit Protection, it provides a robust defense against unauthorized access. By utilizing IP address geolocation, the plugin effectively logs and blocks undesirable access attempts.

The plugin supports various security measures, including limiting login attempts, preventing malicious uploads, and blocking rogue bots and crawlers. It also integrates well with BuddyPress and bbPress, making it suitable for community sites.

Comparing to Alternatives

IP Geo Block is a plugin designed to restrict access based on geographic location, but it faces stiff competition from other plugins offering similar features with better support and compatibility.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple concept for geo-blocking access
Free to use without upsells
Lightweight with minimal features
Easy to install and configure

Weaknesses

No updates for several years
Incompatible with PHP 8.x
Causes critical errors locking out admin users
Lacks advanced features found in alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

User feedback highlights significant issues with stability and compatibility, overshadowing the plugin's intended functionality.

Positive highlights

None reported due to critical issues

Common complaints

Plugin causes critical errors on activation
Locks users out of WordPress admin
No updates for over four years
Incompatible with recent PHP versions

Weaknesses

Unreliable and unstable
Poor maintenance and support

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users looking for a basic geo-blocking plugin who are willing to troubleshoot and possibly fix compatibility issues themselves.

Not ideal for

Anyone seeking a stable, well-supported plugin or those running recent PHP versions, as this plugin may cause site-breaking errors.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers basic IP geo-blocking functionality without any premium features or paid upgrades.

Final Verdict

IP Geo Block is currently not recommended due to critical errors, lack of updates, and incompatibility with modern PHP versions.

Users should consider alternative plugins that provide better support, stability, and features for geo-blocking needs.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free IP Geo Block plugin.

Brute Force

Firewall

Vulnerability Protection

Screenshots

FAQ

This plugin is designed based on the principle of “Privacy by design” so that you can compliantly run it to GDPR. As guarding against personal data breach, IP addresses in this plugin are encrypted and also can be anonymized by default. It also provides some functions not only to manually erase them but also to automatically remove them when those are exceeded a certain amount/time.

However, these are the part of GDPR requirements and do not guarantee that the site is compliant with GDPR. Refer to 3.0.11 release note for details.

Please find the solution in Quick recovery from blocking on your login page at first.

You can also find another solution by editing “Emergent Functionality” code section near the bottom of ip-geo-block.php. This code block can be activated by replacing /* (opening multi-line comment) at the top of the line to // (single line comment), or * at the end of the line to */ (closing multi-line comment).

/**  * Invalidate blocking behavior in case yourself is locked out.  *  * How to use: Activate the following code and upload this file via FTP.  */ /* -- ADD '/' TO THE TOP OR END OF THIS LINE TO ACTIVATE THE FOLLOWINGS -- */ function ip_geo_block_emergency( $validate, $settings ) {     $validate['result'] = 'passed';     return $validate; } add_filter( 'ip-geo-block-login', 'ip_geo_block_emergency', 1, 2 ); add_filter( 'ip-geo-block-admin', 'ip_geo_block_emergency', 1, 2 ); // */

Please not that you have to use an appropriate editor.

After saving and uploading it to /wp-content/plugins/ip-geo-block/ on your server via FTP, you become to be able to login again as an admin.

Remember that you should upload the original one after re-configuration to deactivate this feature.

This document can also help you.