Security Guide - Rank Math API Manager Plugin

📋 Overview

This guide covers security best practices, configuration recommendations, and security features for the Rank Math API Manager plugin. Follow these guidelines to ensure your WordPress site and API endpoints remain secure.

🛡️ Security Features

Built-in Security Measures

The Rank Math API Manager plugin implements several security measures:

1. Authentication & Authorization

WordPress Application Passwords: Secure authentication method
User Capability Checks: Validates edit_posts permissions
Permission Validation: Ensures users can modify content

2. Input Validation & Sanitization

Text Field Sanitization: Uses sanitize_text_field()
URL Validation: Uses esc_url_raw() for canonical URLs
Post ID Validation: Ensures posts exist before updates
Parameter Validation: Validates all input parameters

3. Data Protection

No Sensitive Data Logging: API credentials are never logged
Secure Transmission: Requires HTTPS for production use
WordPress Nonce Validation: Where applicable

🔐 Authentication Best Practices

WordPress Application Passwords

Setting Up Secure Application Passwords

Create Dedicated User Account

# Create a dedicated API user with limited permissions
# Go to Users → Add New
# Username: api-user
# Role: Author (has edit_posts capability)
# Email: api@your-domain.com

Generate Application Password

# Go to Users → Profile → Application Passwords
# Name: "Rank Math API Access"
# Click "Add New Application Password"
# Copy the generated password immediately

Store Credentials Securely

# Never store credentials in plain text
# Use environment variables or secure configuration
export WORDPRESS_API_USERNAME="api-user"
export WORDPRESS_API_PASSWORD="your-application-password"

Credential Management

# Example: Secure credential storage
# .env file (add to .gitignore)
WORDPRESS_API_USERNAME=api-user
WORDPRESS_API_PASSWORD=your-application-password
WORDPRESS_SITE_URL=https://your-site.com

# Load in your application
source .env

API Key Management (Future Feature)

// Future implementation for API key authentication
add_action('rest_api_init', function() {
    register_rest_route('rank-math-api/v1', '/generate-api-key', [
        'methods' => 'POST',
        'callback' => 'generate_api_key',
        'permission_callback' => function() {
            return current_user_can('manage_options');
        }
    ]);
});

function generate_api_key() {
    $api_key = wp_generate_password(64, false);
    $user_id = get_current_user_id();

    update_user_meta($user_id, 'rank_math_api_key', $api_key);

    return [
        'api_key' => $api_key,
        'created_at' => current_time('mysql')
    ];
}

🔒 Network Security

HTTPS Configuration

Force HTTPS for API Endpoints

// Add to wp-config.php or theme functions.php
add_action('rest_api_init', function() {
    if (!is_ssl() && !is_admin()) {
        add_filter('rest_authentication_errors', function($result) {
            return new WP_Error('https_required', 'HTTPS is required for API access', ['status' => 403]);
        });
    }
});

SSL Certificate Validation

# Test SSL configuration
curl -I https://your-site.com/wp-json/rank-math-api/v1/update-meta

# Check SSL certificate
openssl s_client -connect your-site.com:443 -servername your-site.com

CORS Configuration

Default WordPress CORS

The plugin uses WordPress's default CORS settings. For enhanced security:

// Custom CORS configuration
add_action('rest_api_init', function() {
    add_filter('rest_pre_serve_request', function($served, $result, $request, $server) {
        // Allow only specific origins
        $allowed_origins = [
            'https://your-frontend-app.com',
            'https://your-n8n-instance.com'
        ];

        $origin = $_SERVER['HTTP_ORIGIN'] ?? '';

        if (in_array($origin, $allowed_origins)) {
            header('Access-Control-Allow-Origin: ' . $origin);
            header('Access-Control-Allow-Methods: POST, OPTIONS');
            header('Access-Control-Allow-Headers: Content-Type, Authorization');
            header('Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true');
        }

        return $served;
    }, 10, 4);
});

🚫 Rate Limiting

Basic Rate Limiting Implementation

// Add rate limiting to API endpoints
add_action('rest_api_init', function() {
    add_filter('rest_pre_dispatch', function($result, $server, $request) {
        if (strpos($request->get_route(), 'rank-math-api') !== false) {
            $ip = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];
            $user_id = get_current_user_id();
            $key = "rate_limit_{$user_id}_{$ip}";

            $count = get_transient($key);
            $limit = 100; // requests per hour
            $window = 3600; // 1 hour

            if ($count && $count >= $limit) {
                return new WP_Error(
                    'rate_limit_exceeded',
                    'Rate limit exceeded. Please try again later.',
                    ['status' => 429]
                );
            }

            set_transient($key, ($count ? $count + 1 : 1), $window);
        }

        return $result;
    }, 10, 3);
});

Advanced Rate Limiting

// Advanced rate limiting with different tiers
class RankMathAPIRateLimiter {
    private $limits = [
        'default' => ['requests' => 100, 'window' => 3600],
        'premium' => ['requests' => 1000, 'window' => 3600],
        'admin' => ['requests' => 10000, 'window' => 3600]
    ];

    public function check_rate_limit($user_id, $ip) {
        $user_tier = $this->get_user_tier($user_id);
        $limit = $this->limits[$user_tier];

        $key = "rate_limit_{$user_tier}_{$user_id}_{$ip}";
        $count = get_transient($key);

        if ($count && $count >= $limit['requests']) {
            return false;
        }

        set_transient($key, ($count ? $count + 1 : 1), $limit['window']);
        return true;
    }

    private function get_user_tier($user_id) {
        if (user_can($user_id, 'manage_options')) {
            return 'admin';
        }

        // Check for premium user status
        if (get_user_meta($user_id, 'premium_user', true)) {
            return 'premium';
        }

        return 'default';
    }
}

🔍 Input Validation & Sanitization

Enhanced Input Validation

// Enhanced validation for API parameters
add_action('rest_api_init', function() {
    add_filter('rest_pre_dispatch', function($result, $server, $request) {
        if (strpos($request->get_route(), 'rank-math-api') !== false) {
            $params = $request->get_params();

            // Validate post_id
            if (isset($params['post_id'])) {
                if (!is_numeric($params['post_id']) || $params['post_id'] <= 0) {
                    return new WP_Error('invalid_post_id', 'Invalid post ID', ['status' => 400]);
                }

                $post = get_post($params['post_id']);
                if (!$post || !in_array($post->post_type, ['post', 'product'])) {
                    return new WP_Error('post_not_found', 'Post not found or invalid type', ['status' => 404]);
                }
            }

            // Validate SEO title length
            if (isset($params['rank_math_title'])) {
                if (strlen($params['rank_math_title']) > 60) {
                    return new WP_Error('title_too_long', 'SEO title exceeds 60 characters', ['status' => 400]);
                }
            }

            // Validate SEO description length
            if (isset($params['rank_math_description'])) {
                if (strlen($params['rank_math_description']) > 160) {
                    return new WP_Error('description_too_long', 'SEO description exceeds 160 characters', ['status' => 400]);
                }
            }

            // Validate canonical URL
            if (isset($params['rank_math_canonical_url'])) {
                if (!filter_var($params['rank_math_canonical_url'], FILTER_VALIDATE_URL)) {
                    return new WP_Error('invalid_url', 'Invalid canonical URL', ['status' => 400]);
                }
            }
        }

        return $result;
    }, 10, 3);
});

Content Security

// Prevent XSS and injection attacks
function sanitize_seo_data($data) {
    $sanitized = [];

    if (isset($data['rank_math_title'])) {
        $sanitized['rank_math_title'] = sanitize_text_field($data['rank_math_title']);
    }

    if (isset($data['rank_math_description'])) {
        $sanitized['rank_math_description'] = sanitize_textarea_field($data['rank_math_description']);
    }

    if (isset($data['rank_math_canonical_url'])) {
        $sanitized['rank_math_canonical_url'] = esc_url_raw($data['rank_math_canonical_url']);
    }

    if (isset($data['rank_math_focus_keyword'])) {
        $sanitized['rank_math_focus_keyword'] = sanitize_text_field($data['rank_math_focus_keyword']);
    }

    return $sanitized;
}

📊 Security Monitoring

API Access Logging

// Log API access for security monitoring
add_action('rest_api_init', function() {
    add_filter('rest_post_dispatch', function($response, $handler, $request) {
        if (strpos($request->get_route(), 'rank-math-api') !== false) {
            $log_entry = [
                'timestamp' => current_time('mysql'),
                'ip' => $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'],
                'user_agent' => $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'] ?? '',
                'user_id' => get_current_user_id(),
                'route' => $request->get_route(),
                'method' => $request->get_method(),
                'status' => $response->get_status(),
                'params' => array_keys($request->get_params())
            ];

            // Log to WordPress debug log
            error_log('Rank Math API Access: ' . json_encode($log_entry));

            // Store in database for analysis
            $logs = get_option('rank_math_api_logs', []);
            $logs[] = $log_entry;

            // Keep only last 1000 entries
            if (count($logs) > 1000) {
                $logs = array_slice($logs, -1000);
            }

            update_option('rank_math_api_logs', $logs);
        }

        return $response;
    }, 10, 3);
});

Security Event Monitoring

// Monitor for suspicious activity
add_action('rest_api_init', function() {
    add_filter('rest_authentication_errors', function($result) {
        if ($result !== null) {
            // Log failed authentication attempts
            $log_entry = [
                'timestamp' => current_time('mysql'),
                'ip' => $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'],
                'user_agent' => $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'] ?? '',
                'route' => $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'] ?? '',
                'error' => 'Authentication failed'
            ];

            error_log('Rank Math API Security Event: ' . json_encode($log_entry));

            // Alert on multiple failed attempts
            $failed_attempts = get_transient('failed_auth_' . $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']);
            if ($failed_attempts && $failed_attempts > 10) {
                // Send alert email
                wp_mail(
                    get_option('admin_email'),
                    'Security Alert: Multiple Failed API Authentication Attempts',
                    'Multiple failed authentication attempts detected from IP: ' . $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR']
                );
            }

            set_transient('failed_auth_' . $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'], ($failed_attempts ? $failed_attempts + 1 : 1), 3600);
        }

        return $result;
    });
});

🔧 Security Configuration

WordPress Security Settings

Essential Security Plugins

// Recommended security plugins
// 1. Wordfence Security
// 2. Sucuri Security
// 3. iThemes Security
// 4. All In One WP Security & Firewall

wp-config.php Security

// Add to wp-config.php
// Disable file editing
define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true);

// Increase memory limit
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

// Enable debug logging
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

// Secure database
define('DB_CHARSET', 'utf8mb4');
define('DB_COLLATE', 'utf8mb4_unicode_ci');

// Force SSL for admin
define('FORCE_SSL_ADMIN', true);

Server Security

Apache Security Headers

# Add to .htaccess
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
    Header always set X-Content-Type-Options nosniff
    Header always set X-Frame-Options DENY
    Header always set X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block"
    Header always set Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
    Header always set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline';"
</IfModule>

# Block access to sensitive files
<Files "wp-config.php">
    Order allow,deny
    Deny from all
</Files>

<Files ".htaccess">
    Order allow,deny
    Deny from all
</Files>

Nginx Security Headers

# Add to nginx.conf
add_header X-Content-Type-Options nosniff;
add_header X-Frame-Options DENY;
add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block";
add_header Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin";
add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline' 'unsafe-eval'; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline';";

# Block access to sensitive files
location ~ /(wp-config\.php|\.htaccess) {
    deny all;
}

🚨 Incident Response

Security Incident Checklist

Immediate Response
- Disable API access if compromised
- Change all Application Passwords
- Review server logs for intrusion
- Check for unauthorized changes
Investigation
- Analyze access logs
- Review API usage patterns
- Check for data breaches
- Identify attack vectors
Recovery
- Restore from clean backup
- Update all credentials
- Implement additional security measures
- Monitor for further attacks

Security Contact Information

// Add security contact information
add_action('admin_menu', function() {
    add_options_page(
        'Security Settings',
        'Security',
        'manage_options',
        'security-settings',
        function() {
            ?>
            <div class="wrap">
                <h1>Security Settings</h1>
                <h2>Emergency Contacts</h2>
                <p><strong>Security Email:</strong> security@devora.no</p>
                <p><strong>Emergency Phone:</strong> [Your emergency number]</p>
                <h2>Security Checklist</h2>
                <ul>
                    <li>✅ HTTPS enabled</li>
                    <li>✅ Application Passwords configured</li>
                    <li>✅ Rate limiting enabled</li>
                    <li>✅ Input validation active</li>
                    <li>✅ Security monitoring active</li>
                </ul>
            </div>
            <?php
        }
    );
});

📋 Security Checklist

Pre-Deployment Checklist

Regular Security Audits

Review access logs monthly
Update Application Passwords quarterly
Check for plugin updates weekly
Review user permissions monthly
Test security measures quarterly
Update security documentation as needed

📞 Security Support

Reporting Security Issues

Important: Do not report security issues via GitHub Issues. Send them to security@devora.no instead.

Required Information for Security Reports

Subject: Security Issue - Rank Math API Manager

Details:
- Description of the vulnerability
- Steps to reproduce
- Potential impact
- Environment details
- Proof of concept (if applicable)

Contact Information:
- Your name and email
- Preferred contact method
- Disclosure timeline preference

Related Documentation:

Last Updated: July 2025 Version: 1.0.6

Security: Devora-AS/rank-math-api-manager

Security

docs/SECURITY.md