SiteLock - Detailed Review
Website Tools
SiteLock - Product Overview
Introduction to SiteLock
SiteLock is a comprehensive website security solution that protects websites from a wide range of cyber threats. Here’s a breakdown of its primary function, target audience, and key features.
Primary Function
SiteLock’s main goal is to ensure your website remains secure by scanning for and automatically removing malware, fixing vulnerabilities, and preventing other malicious activities. It conducts daily scans of your website’s files and databases to detect signs of infection or weaknesses, and it alerts you in real-time if any issues are found.
Target Audience
SiteLock is particularly beneficial for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as any website owner who needs reliable cybersecurity protection. Given that 43% of cyber attacks target small businesses, SiteLock’s services are crucial for these entities to safeguard their online presence.
Key Features
- Daily Malware Scanning and Automatic Removal: SiteLock scans your website continuously for malware and other cyber threats, automatically removing any harmful content detected.
- Vulnerability Patching: It identifies and fixes security risks in your database tables, Content Management System (CMS), and ecommerce functionality to prevent exploitation by hackers.
- Web Application Firewall (WAF): This feature helps block malicious traffic, such as bots and spam, to keep your website running smoothly and securely.
- Blacklist Monitoring: SiteLock monitors your website’s reputation to ensure it isn’t flagged or blacklisted by search engines and email providers, which can harm your site’s visibility and credibility.
- Bot Attack Prevention: It prevents bot attacks that can slow down your website and compromise its security.
- PCI Compliance Scanning: SiteLock helps maintain compliance with Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards, which is essential for ecommerce sites to protect customer data.
- SiteLock Trust Seal: Displaying the SiteLock Trust Seal on your website reassures visitors that your site is secure, which can increase trust and potentially boost sales and site conversions.
- Instant Alerts & Reports: If a threat is detected, SiteLock sends instant email and dashboard alerts, allowing you to take immediate action to secure your site.
By offering these features, SiteLock provides comprehensive protection, peace of mind, and improved website performance, making it an essential tool for any website owner.
SiteLock - User Interface and Experience
User Interface Overview
The user interface of SiteLock, particularly in its Website Tools AI-driven product category, is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, ensuring that managing website security is as straightforward as possible.
Dashboard Overview
The SiteLock Dashboard serves as the central hub for managing your website’s security. It is divided into several key sections that provide a comprehensive overview of your website’s health and security status. These sections include:
- Overview: A general snapshot of your website’s security.
- Site Health: Details on the current health of your website.
- Security Scanning: Information on various scans such as malware, spam, SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and application scans.
- Risk Score: A MAX Risk Score that indicates the level of risk associated with your website.
- Smart Patch: Details on patching vulnerabilities.
- Email Reputation Scan: Checks if your website is on spam lists.
- SSL Monitor: Ensures your website has a valid SSL certificate.
- Backup & Recovery: Manages your website backups.
- Firewall & CDN: Information on your website’s firewall and content delivery network (CDN) settings.
Ease of Use
The new SiteLock Dashboard is multilingual and features an improved visual layout that simplifies navigation. Here are some key aspects that enhance ease of use:
- Intuitive Navigation: The dashboard has a streamlined design with clear and separate sections for account-level and site-level subscriptions, making it easier to manage multiple sites.
- Real-time Notifications: Users receive instant notifications of security threats and alerts, ensuring prompt action can be taken.
- Detailed Product Cards: Users can “drill down” into product cards for more detailed security information, such as backup quota usage, scan dates, and custom scan statistics.
- Simplified Layout: The new layout includes a new color palette and rearranged menu items (e.g., messages and trust seal have been moved to more accessible locations) to improve user experience.
Overall User Experience
The overall user experience is enhanced by several features:
- 24/7 Support: SiteLock offers continuous access to their support team, ensuring help is always available.
- Visual Summaries: The dashboard provides comprehensive visual summaries of account and service details, including scan summaries, traffic analysis, and remediation advice.
- Language Options: The dashboard language is specific to the user’s login, and language selection is now found in the Settings menu.
This design ensures that users can quickly and intuitively manage their website’s security without needing extensive technical knowledge. The interface is clear, organized, and supportive, making it easier for users to maintain a secure and healthy website.
SiteLock - Key Features and Functionality
SiteLock is a comprehensive website security solution that offers a range of features to protect your website from various cyber threats. Here are the main features and how they work, along with any relevant information on AI integration:
Daily Malware Scanning and Automatic Removal
SiteLock conducts daily scans of your website’s files and databases to detect malware and other malicious software. If any issues are found, SiteLock alerts you in real-time and can automatically remove the malware to ensure your site remains secure.Web Application Firewall (WAF)
The WAF acts as an additional layer of protection by identifying and blocking suspicious traffic before it can interact with your website. This helps protect against advanced cyber threats, including those listed in the OWASP Top Ten.Database Scanning
SiteLock scans your website’s databases to detect any signs of infection or vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection attacks. This ensures that sensitive data stored in your databases is protected.CMS Vulnerability Patching
SiteLock identifies and patches vulnerabilities in your Content Management System (CMS) and other web applications. This prevents hackers from exploiting these vulnerabilities to compromise your site.Blacklist Monitoring
SiteLock monitors your website’s reputation to ensure it is not blacklisted by search engines or email providers. This keeps your site visible and your emails out of spam folders.Bot Attack Prevention
SiteLock blocks malicious traffic, including bots and spam, which can slow down your site or compromise its security. This helps maintain your website’s performance and user experience.Content Delivery Network (CDN)
The CDN provided by SiteLock helps improve your website’s speed and SEO by handling high volumes of traffic efficiently. This ensures your site loads quickly and remains accessible to users.Website Backups and Restoration
SiteLock offers secure backups of your website, allowing you to restore your site in case of data loss or a major crash. This feature protects against both malicious activity and human errors.PCI Compliance Scanning
For eCommerce sites, SiteLock provides automated PCI compliance scanning to ensure sensitive data, such as credit card numbers, is handled securely according to banking standards.SiteLock Trust Seal
Displaying the SiteLock Trust Seal on your website signals to visitors that your site is secure, which can build trust and improve user engagement.Real-Time Notifications and Emergency Response
SiteLock sends real-time alerts if any security issues are detected, allowing you to address problems promptly. Additionally, SiteLock offers emergency response services to handle critical security incidents.AI Integration
While the sources do not explicitly detail the integration of AI in SiteLock’s features, it is common for modern cybersecurity solutions to leverage AI and machine learning to enhance threat detection and response. Here are some general ways AI could be integrated, though this is not specifically confirmed for SiteLock:Behavioral Analysis
AI can analyze patterns and behaviors in network traffic and website activity to identify and address unknown or dynamic threats.Real-Time Monitoring
AI-powered systems can continuously monitor network activity and website scans to spot unusual patterns or behaviors that could indicate a threat.Automated Threat Detection
AI can help in detecting and addressing threats more quickly and accurately than traditional signature-based detection methods. However, without specific information from the sources, it is not possible to confirm the exact extent of AI integration in SiteLock’s product offerings. SiteLock - Performance and Accuracy
Evaluating SiteLock’s Performance and Accuracy in Website Security
Performance
SiteLock is praised for its automated malware detection and removal capabilities. It automatically scans websites for malware, spam, SQL injection, and cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities, and initiates the removal process to ensure the website remains secure. The service also includes a web application firewall (WAF), database scanning, and CMS vulnerability patching, which are crucial for protecting websites from various types of cyber attacks. SiteLock’s 360-degree monitoring and daily scanning help in detecting and fixing threats promptly, which can accelerate website performance and ensure compliance with industry standards like PCI-DSS.Accuracy
While SiteLock has strong features for malware detection and removal, its accuracy in vulnerability detection is a concern. According to some tests, SiteLock’s vulnerability detection is inadequate, failing to identify existing vulnerabilities on websites. This is particularly evident in its inability to detect SQL injection and XSS vulnerabilities. Additionally, SiteLock lacks essential security features such as brute force login protection, which leaves websites vulnerable to common types of attacks. Its two-factor authentication feature also has reliability issues, with problems in sending verification messages and setting up mobile verification.Limitations and Areas for Improvement
1. Vulnerability Detection
SiteLock’s vulnerability detection is not as effective as some of its competitors, such as Wordfence. It fails to identify critical vulnerabilities, which can leave websites exposed to attacks.2. Brute Force Protection
The absence of brute force login protection is a significant gap in SiteLock’s security offerings. This feature is crucial for preventing unauthorized access to websites.3. Activity Log
Unlike some other security plugins, SiteLock does not provide an activity log feature, which is important for tracking and responding to suspicious activities on the website.4. Two-Factor Authentication
While SiteLock offers two-factor authentication, it has been reported to have issues with sending verification messages and setting up mobile verification, which affects its reliability.5. Alert System
Users have reported that SiteLock’s alert system can be unclear, and while it allows toggling notifications on and off, the information provided in these alerts may not be as detailed or actionable as needed. In summary, while SiteLock performs well in automated malware detection and removal, and offers comprehensive scanning and monitoring, it falls short in critical areas such as vulnerability detection, brute force protection, and two-factor authentication reliability. Addressing these limitations would significantly enhance its overall performance and accuracy. SiteLock - Pricing and Plans
Plans and Pricing
HostGator Plans (for HostGator customers)
When purchasing through HostGator, SiteLock offers three main plans: Essentials, Prevent, and Prevent Plus.- Essentials:
- Daily malware scan
- Automated malware removal
- 24/7 U.S. based support
- Multilingual dashboard
- SiteLock Trust Seal
- Basic CDN
- Google Blacklist Monitoring
- Block automated bot attacks
- Weekly scan report
- Response time: 12 hours
- Prevent:
- All features from Essentials
- Advanced CDN
- Web Application Firewall
- Database scanning
- DDoS protection
- Response time: 6 hours
- Prevent Plus:
- All features from Prevent
- Continuous malware scan
- PCI Compliance Reporting
- Application patching
- Response time: 4 hours
General SiteLock Plans
For general customers, SiteLock offers several plans with varying features:SiteLock Find
- Daily malware scan
- Daily blacklist monitoring
- Trust seal
- Reputation monitoring
- One vulnerability scan
- This plan is suitable if you want to be informed about threats but are willing to fix issues yourself.
SiteLock Fix
- Daily malware scan
- Up to 500 pages scanned
- Daily blacklist monitoring
- Trust seal
- Reputation monitoring
- Daily vulnerability scan
- Automatic malware removal
- Spam monitoring
- File change monitoring
- This plan is ideal if you want your site monitored and fixed automatically without any hassle.
SiteLock Volume Pricing
For managing multiple sites, SiteLock offers volume pricing discounts:- Basic Plan: $149/year ($14.99/month) for one site, with discounts for multiple sites (e.g., $119/year or $11.99/month for 5 sites).
- Pro Plan: $249/year ($24.99/month) for one site, with discounts for multiple sites (e.g., $199/year or $19.99/month for 5 sites).
- Business Plan: $349/year ($34.99/month) for one site, with discounts for multiple sites (e.g., $279/year or $27.99/month for 5 sites).
Free Scanning Service
SiteLock also offers a free scanning service for domains without a SiteLock plan:- This scan identifies known malware and sends an email alert if a threat is detected.
- It is a lightweight HTTP scan that covers about 5 to 10 pages.
- The free scan does not include premium features like automatic malware removal, site vulnerability scanning, or content delivery network (CDN).
Additional Features and Discounts
- Legacy Plans: For customers who purchased plans before certain dates, there are legacy plans with different features and pricing.
- Emergency Cleaning and Ongoing Maintenance: Additional services like SiteLock 911 are available with volume discounts for managing multiple sites.
SiteLock - Integration and Compatibility
SiteLock Overview
SiteLock, a comprehensive website security solution, integrates seamlessly with various tools and is compatible across a wide range of platforms and devices. Here are some key points regarding its integration and compatibility:
Compatibility with Hosting Services
SiteLock is compatible with all types of hosting, whether purchased from specific providers like Whois.com or elsewhere. It can be easily integrated with shared and reseller hosting plans, and setup is automated upon purchase.
Content Management Systems (CMS)
SiteLock supports a variety of CMS platforms, including WordPress, WooCommerce, Drupal, Magento, and Microsoft, as well as custom websites. This ensures that regardless of the CMS you use, SiteLock can protect your site from various cyber threats.
Automated Integration with WHMCS
For hosting providers using WHMCS, SiteLock can be integrated through MarketConnect, allowing for one-click sales, automatic landing page setup, and automated promotions and upsells. This integration also includes automatic renewal invoice generation and suspension for nonpayment.
Firewall and CDN Configuration
To use SiteLock’s Firewall, you need to add an A record to your domain name to route traffic through SiteLock’s servers. The Firewall is pre-configured, but higher-end plans allow for some configuration options. The Content Delivery Network (CDN) requires adding a CNAME record to your domain settings.
Daily Scans and Real-Time Notifications
SiteLock performs daily website scans and provides real-time notifications for any security issues detected. This includes malware, viruses, and other cyber threats, ensuring your site is protected 24/7.
Compatibility with Search Engines
SiteLock’s Firewall is designed to distinguish between good and bad bots, ensuring that search engine spiders are not blocked from indexing your site. This maintains your site’s visibility in search engines while protecting against malicious traffic.
Management and Access
All SiteLock orders can be managed from a single SiteLock Panel, accessible through the Reseller or Customer Control Panel. However, each domain name requires a separate SiteLock order.
Conclusion
In summary, SiteLock offers broad compatibility and seamless integration with various hosting services, CMS platforms, and other website tools, making it a versatile and effective solution for website security.
SiteLock - Customer Support and Resources
Customer Support Options
SiteLock offers a comprehensive array of customer support options and additional resources to ensure users can effectively manage and secure their websites.Phone Support
SiteLock provides multiple phone numbers for different types of inquiries. For general customer service, the most commonly used number is (877) 846-6639. This number is utilized by 80% of consumers to address their issues and concerns.Technical Support
Billing and Account Support
International Support
Email Support
Users can also reach out via email. The primary email for customer service is support@sitelock.com, which is used by 100% of customers to address their issues.Live Chat Support
SiteLock offers 24/7 live chat support. To initiate a chat, click the “Chat with an expert” tab on the bottom right corner of the SiteLock support page. Here, you can enter your contact information and select the type of support you need, such as help with an existing plan or other issues.Online Resources
Additional Support
SiteLock - Pros and Cons
Advantages of SiteLock
SiteLock offers several key benefits that make it a valuable tool for website security:
Comprehensive Security Scans
SiteLock conducts daily scans of your website’s files and databases to detect malware, vulnerabilities, and other malicious activities. It alerts you in real-time if any issues are found and provides steps for resolution.
Automated Malware Removal
If malware is detected, SiteLock can automatically remove it, ensuring your site remains secure without requiring manual intervention.
Web Application Firewall (WAF) and Content Delivery Network (CDN)
SiteLock includes a WAF to filter and monitor HTTP traffic, and a CDN to accelerate content delivery, enhancing both security and performance.
Database Scanning and Vulnerability Patching
It scans your website’s database daily to identify vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, and patches CMS vulnerabilities to protect sensitive data.
Blacklist Monitoring
SiteLock monitors your website’s reputation to ensure it isn’t flagged or blacklisted by search engines and email providers, maintaining your site’s visibility and credibility.
Trust Seal
Displaying the SiteLock Trust Seal on your website helps build trust with your visitors, indicating that your site is secure and their data is protected.
Performance Enhancement
By blocking malicious traffic like bots and spam, SiteLock helps your website run more smoothly and load faster, improving user experience and SEO.
Peace of Mind
With 24/7 monitoring and real-time alerts, SiteLock provides peace of mind, allowing you to focus on your business while knowing your website is secure.
Disadvantages of SiteLock
Despite its benefits, there are some significant drawbacks to consider:
Ineffective Malware Scanner
Some tests have shown that SiteLock’s malware scanner can be ineffective, failing to detect malware even when it is present. This raises concerns about its reliability in detecting and removing threats.
Configuration Challenges
Users have reported difficulties in configuring SiteLock, which can lead to the tool not working as intended.
Lack of Key Security Features
SiteLock has been criticized for lacking essential security features such as functional two-factor authentication, brute force login protection, and effective vulnerability detection.
Customer Service Issues
There have been reports of a complicated cancellation process and poor customer service, which can be frustrating for users.
Resource Usage
While SiteLock has minimal impact on server resources, its overall effectiveness in providing security is questionable, making it a potential waste of resources if it does not deliver on its promises.
In summary, while SiteLock offers several valuable security features and benefits, its effectiveness and reliability have been called into question by some users and tests. It is important to weigh these pros and cons carefully before deciding to use SiteLock for your website security needs.
SiteLock - Comparison with Competitors
Malware Scanning and Cleaning
SiteLock’s malware scanning feature has been criticized for its ineffectiveness. In tests, it failed to detect malware on heavily infected sites and only allows one on-demand scan per day.
In contrast, Wordfence stands out with its signature-matching mechanism, which effectively detects a majority of file-based malware. Wordfence’s scanner is more effective, especially on open-source or free plugins and themes, although it may not detect newer or zero-day malware. Additionally, Wordfence offers automated malware cleaning options and an expert cleaning service.
Firewall and Brute Force Protection
SiteLock’s basic plan lacks a firewall feature, and even the Pro and Business plans may not offer the same level of protection as competitors. SiteLock also does not provide brute force login protection, a critical security feature.
Wordfence, on the other hand, has a highly effective firewall that works out of the box, with the premium version receiving real-time updates. Wordfence also includes robust brute force protection, locking out users after too many incorrect login attempts and offering customizable options.
Vulnerability Detection
SiteLock’s vulnerability detection is bundled into its scanner feature but has failed to detect vulnerabilities in tests. In contrast, Wordfence successfully identifies vulnerabilities, flagging outdated plugins and correctly identifying critical threats, although it may throw up some false positives.
Additional Features
Sucuri, another competitor, offers a comprehensive managed security service that includes intrusion prevention, detection, and incident response. Sucuri’s cloud-based tools provide complete website security, which is more extensive than SiteLock’s offerings.
Cloudflare Application Security and Performance is another strong alternative, providing performance, reliability, and security for web applications and APIs. Cloudflare’s solutions include advanced security features such as web application firewalls (WAF) and DDoS protection, which are not fully matched by SiteLock.
AI and Automation
While SiteLock does not prominently feature AI-driven tools, competitors like CloudSEK leverage AI to predict and prevent cyber threats. CloudSEK’s Contextual AI engine monitors multiple attack surfaces, detects vulnerabilities, and provides comprehensive data leak monitoring, which is more advanced than SiteLock’s capabilities.
Customer Experience and Support
Wordfence offers a more comprehensive set of features, including two-factor authentication, live traffic monitoring, and detailed diagnostics. Although SiteLock provides some features like anti-spam and full site backups, its two-factor authentication and other security features have been found to be less reliable in tests.
Conclusion
For users seeking more effective and reliable website security solutions, alternatives like Wordfence, Sucuri, and Cloudflare Application Security and Performance are worth considering. These tools offer better malware scanning, firewall protection, vulnerability detection, and additional security features that SiteLock lacks. If AI-driven security is a priority, CloudSEK is another option that provides advanced threat detection and prevention capabilities.
SiteLock - Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions about SiteLock
What is SiteLock?
SiteLock is a cloud-based website security solution primarily designed for small businesses. It acts as an early detection alarm for common online threats such as malware injections, bot attacks, and other vulnerabilities. It not only protects websites from these threats but also automatically removes malicious code and fixes vulnerabilities.
What does SiteLock monitor?
SiteLock monitors a wide range of issues and vulnerabilities, including:
- Search Engine and Browser Blacklisting
- Spam Blacklisting
- Application vulnerabilities
- SQL Injection and Cross-site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities
- Virus Scanning
- Network vulnerabilities
- SSL certificate validity
- Domain ownership, phone, and postal address verification.
How does SiteLock protect against malware?
SiteLock scans your website 24/7 for malware and other cyber threats. If malware is detected, the SiteLock Malware Automated Removal Tool (SMART) instantly targets and removes the malicious content. This process includes automatic removal of infected files and database cleanup, ensuring your website remains secure without requiring manual intervention.
What is the SiteLock Trust Seal and how does it help?
The SiteLock Trust Seal is a badge that you can display on your website to indicate that your site is secure. This seal is updated in real-time to show that your site has been scanned and is free from malware and other threats. Displaying the Trust Seal helps build customer trust, which can increase sales and site conversions.
How does SiteLock’s Firewall work?
SiteLock offers a basic firewall that helps block bot traffic that could harm your website. To set it up, you need to add an A record to your domain name to point to SiteLock’s servers. The firewall distinguishes between good bots (like those from search engines) and bad bots, ensuring that legitimate traffic is not blocked. In higher-end plans, users can configure certain aspects of the firewall.
What is Reputation Monitoring in SiteLock?
Reputation Monitoring by SiteLock includes checking if your website is listed in search engine blacklists or spam blacklists. It also verifies your SSL certificate for encryption strength, certification authority, certificate expiry, and domain name validity. This helps ensure your website’s reputation remains intact and that emails are not marked as spam.
Does SiteLock offer Content Delivery Network (CDN) services?
Yes, SiteLock provides Content Delivery Network (CDN) services to boost your site’s speed and improve search engine rankings. The level of CDN service varies depending on the plan you choose, with advanced CDN options available in higher-tier plans.
How do I know if SiteLock has detected and fixed any threats?
SiteLock provides instant email and dashboard alerts whenever a threat is detected and fixed. This keeps you updated on the security status of your website in real-time, allowing you to take action promptly if needed.
Can I configure the SiteLock Firewall?
The basic firewall offered by SiteLock is pre-configured, and there are no options to manage it within the SiteLock Panel. However, in higher-end plans, users have the ability to configure certain aspects of the firewall.
What kind of support does SiteLock offer?
SiteLock provides 24/7 U.S.-based support. Additionally, higher-tier plans include unlimited expert support, where a team of technicians is available to clean and secure your site if you don’t have the expertise to do so yourself.
How do I upgrade my SiteLock plan?
To upgrade your SiteLock plan, log in to your customer portal, go to the ‘Websites’ or ‘Hosting’ section depending on your account setup, locate the hosting package with SiteLock, and click the ‘Manage’ button. Then, navigate to the ‘Security’ tab, find the SiteLock section, and click the ‘Upgrade Plan’ link. Follow the prompts to select and purchase your preferred higher-tier plan.