How to Monitor WordPress User Login Activity [2 Easy Steps]

Wondering how to keep track of who logs into your WordPress website? With so many vulnerabilities and hacking attempts targeting WordPress websites, tracking login activity has become imperative.

Statistically, brute force attacks account for more than 80% of all hacking attempts on WordPress sites, making your login page a prime target for cybercriminals.

Fortunately, monitoring your WordPress user login activity can help prevent unauthorized access and detect suspicious behavior early on.

In this article, we’ll walk you through how to monitor WordPress user login activity in just two easy steps using the All In One Login plugin. 

Ready? Let’s get started!

WordPress Activity Log — Brief Intro

A WordPress activity log is a detailed record of all user interactions and events on your website. From successful logins to failed attempts, user lockouts, and other critical actions, it serves as a running history of user behavior. Without an activity log, you would have no way to track or block any particular user.

An activity log gives you a transparent view of these activities. For instance, it allows you to see:

• Successful and failed login attempts: Detect unauthorized access attempts in real-time.
• User actions after logging in: Track whether users are making any suspicious changes.
• IP address tracking: Identify whether the same IP address attempts multiple logins.

A WordPress activity log is not just for detecting threats; it’s also useful for auditing and accountability, which makes sure that your website’s integrity remains intact.

Inside the AIO Login plugin, you will have the user activity log something like this:

Why Should You Monitor WordPress User Login Activity?

In 2016, Hackers attacked Alibaba users through brute-force attacks and gained access to more than 20.6 million accounts.

If this is not enough, check out the following reasons why monitoring WordPress user login activity is essential:

• Detect Unauthorized Access: Hackers often use brute force attacks to guess passwords and gain access to your site. By monitoring login attempts, you can detect these unauthorized attempts early.
• Identify Suspicious Behavior: Monitoring the frequency and source of failed login attempts helps you identify patterns and take action, such as blocking IP addresses or enforcing stricter password policies.
• Comply With Regulations: For businesses in regulated industries (e.g., healthcare or finance), tracking user activity is often required to comply with data protection laws like GDPR.
• Enhance Accountability: If multiple users or employees access your site, an activity log ensures that you can track who did what. This is especially useful for websites that allow user-generated content or multiple admin-level users.
• Security in case of User Negligence: Sometimes, users unintentionally cause security risks by sharing login credentials. An activity log helps you catch this before it becomes a larger issue.

NOTE: For this article, we will use the All In One Login plugin to demonstrate how to monitor WordPress user login activity. It’s a user-friendly and comprehensive solution that helps you manage login attempts and lockouts and keeps your WordPress login page secure with 2FA.

All In One Login Plugin — Brief Intro

The All In One Login plugin is a powerful WordPress security plugin designed specifically to improve a website’s login page security and track user activities. Its intuitive interface makes it easy for WordPress admins to manage login settings, track activity, and implement advanced security measures like Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and Google reCAPTCHA.

Key Features of the All-In-One Login Plugin:

• Change WP-Admin URL: Hide your default WordPress login page by changing its URL, making it harder for hackers to locate and target.
• Customizable Login Page: Easily design a custom login page using your own branding and design preferences for a consistent user experience.
• IP Address Ban: Block users from specific IP addresses and reduce the risk of repeated brute force attacks from known malicious sources.
• Google reCAPTCHA Integration: Add an extra layer of security by implementing reCAPTCHA v2 or v3 to prevent automated bots from attempting logins.
• App-Based Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Require users to enter a code from a mobile authentication app (like Google Authenticator) for added login security.
• Temporary Access URLs: Generate short-term login URLs for users who need temporary access without exposing your main login page.
• Failed Login Attempt Limits: Set limits on failed login attempts and lock out users after a certain number of failed tries to prevent brute force attacks.
• Comprehensive Activity Logs: Track detailed logs of all login attempts, lockouts, and access activities for better user management and security analysis.

Now, check out what kind of data you can track with the plugin.

What Data Do WordPress Activity Log Shows?

The AIO Login’s activity log feature allows you to detect unusual patterns, identify security risks, and take immediate action to protect your WordPress website.

Here’s a breakdown of the key data points you can track:

• Username: See which user attempted to log in. This helps you track the actions of individual users and identify any suspicious accounts.
• IP Address: Track the IP addresses from which login attempts are made. If you see multiple failed login attempts from the same IP, it may indicate a brute force attack.
• Login Status: The activity log will show whether each login attempt was successful or failed. This information is critical for spotting unauthorized access attempts.
• Timestamp: Every login attempt is logged with an exact date and time, helping you understand when attacks or unusual login patterns occur.
• Failed Login Attempts: The log shows how many times a user (or hacker) attempted to log in unsuccessfully. Repeated failed attempts often signal an attack.
• Lockout History: If the plugin has locked out a user due to repeated failed login attempts, this will also be recorded. This feature is crucial for identifying blocked IPs or users.

With these detailed logs, you can better protect your WordPress site and respond to any threats promptly.

2 Easy Steps to Monitor WordPress User Activity

Now that you know what a WordPress activity log is and why it’s important, let’s walk through the simple steps to monitor WordPress user login activity.

Step #1: Install and Activate the AIO Login Plugin

To install the All In One Login plugin, follow the steps below:

1. Log in to Your WordPress Admin Dashboard: To begin, log into your WordPress site as an admin.
2. Go to Plugins > Add New Plugin: On the left-hand menu, hover over “Plugins” and click on “Add New Plugin” to open the plugin repository.
3. Search for “All In One Login”: In the search bar, type “All In One Login.” You should see the plugin in the search results.
4. Install the Plugin: Once you’ve found the plugin, click the “Install Now” button.
5. Activate the Plugin: After the installation process is complete, click “Activate” to enable the plugin on your site.

The plugin is installed, and you can begin configuring it to monitor your login activity.

Step #2: Access WordPress User Login Activity

After activating the plugin, you can access and monitor user login activity directly from your WordPress admin dashboard. The plugin provides two important sub-tabs under the Activity Logs section, where you can check detailed logs of all login-related activities on your site. Here’s how to access and review the logs:

• Go to AIO Login Settings: In the WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to the “AIO Login” plugin section in the left-hand menu.
• Select Activity Logs: Under the plugin’s menu, click “Activity Logs.” This is where all the login-related data is stored and categorized.
• View Login Activity: The Activity Logs section will show a list of all user login attempts, successful logins, failed attempts, and lockouts.

The plugin categorizes the logs into two sub-tabs, which provide more specific details on failed and lockout login attempts.

• Lockouts
• Failed logins

1. Activity Logs for Lockout Users

The “Lockouts” section tracks all instances where users were locked out after multiple failed login attempts. This feature is particularly useful when monitoring for brute force attacks, as it allows you to quickly identify IP addresses or usernames constantly attempting different credentials to gain unauthorized access.

In this section, you can see the following details:

• IP Address: Identifies the IP address from which the failed attempts originated, allowing you to block the IP for future logins.
• Timestamp: This shows the date and the time when the lockout occurred, allowing you to track patterns in suspicious activity over time.
• Location: The country and city from which the maximum failed login attempts were made. 
• User Agent: The browser and operating system used during the login attempt.

Monitoring this log ensures that you catch hacking attempts early and block malicious users before they can harm your website.

2. Activity Logs for Failed Login Attempts

The “Failed Logins” section provides a detailed view of all the unsuccessful login attempts made on your site. Whether these failed attempts are due to incorrect passwords or username errors, this log gives insight into how often users or bots attempt to access your website illegally.

This section contains the following key data points:

• User ID: A unique identifier for the user trying to log in.
• IP Address: Track the IP address from where the failed attempt originated—multiple failed attempts from the same IP address could indicate a brute-force attack.
• Timestamp: The exact date and time of each failed attempt are logged, which allows you to detect patterns or spikes in login attempts.
• Location: The country and city from which the user tried to log in.
• User Agent: The browser and operating system that was used to attempt to log in.

That’s it! By analyzing failed login attempts, you can proactively block suspicious IP addresses, enhance your password security policies, and reduce the chances of unauthorized access to your WordPress site.

Final Remarks

Monitoring WordPress user login activity is a proactive approach to securing your website and protecting it from malicious attacks. Whether you’re running a personal blog, an e-commerce store, or a large corporate site, keeping an eye on login attempts can help you quickly identify suspicious behavior and take necessary actions to prevent unauthorized access.

Fortunately, the All In One Login plugin simplifies this process by providing a comprehensive and user-friendly activity log. You can also improve the security of your website login page further by using 2FA and reCAPTCHA.

Therefore, download the AIO Login plugin now and keep attackers at bay!

If you need any help, feel free to contact the support team. We are always ready to help you.

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