Skip to content

Notifications

Email alerts

Every planAbout Alerts and Digests

Emails you when something important happens: a lockout, a new administrator, malware, changed files, updates waiting and more. You pick which alerts, who gets them and how fast.

What it does

The Alert Matrix lists every alert in five groups: Access (administrator sign-ins, new devices, password changes, new administrators, role changes), Threats (lockouts, repeated failed sign-ins, new bans, 404 floods, firewall blocks), Integrity (malware, file changes, finished scans), Maintenance (updates, key reminders, license) and Reports (daily and weekly digests).

Each alert has its own on switch, a severity, and a delivery choice: Immediate, Hourly summary or Digest only.

Why it matters

Protection works quietly. Alerts make sure you hear about the moments that need a person, such as an unexpected new administrator, while there is still time to act.

Set it up

  1. Go to the Notifications tab, section Delivery, and switch on Email Alerts.
  2. Add the default recipients. Without any, alerts go to the site admin email address.
  3. Click Send Test Email and check it arrives, including in the spam folder.
  4. In section Alerts, switch on the alerts you want and choose how each is delivered. Click an alert's edit button to send it to different people.
  5. Click Save Changes.

Good to know

Critical alerts, such as lockouts and malware found, are always sent straight away.

Some alerts need their feature switched on, for example 404 floods need 404 detection. The matrix says so.

For Multiple Failed Logins, set how many failures from one address within an hour trigger the alert (2 to 50).

Email from WordPress sites often lands in spam. An email delivery plugin with a proper sending service helps.

Email history under the recipients shows when the site's mailer last accepted a Stack Guard email and when one last failed. View in Activity lists each one. It needs the activity log and its Emails events switched on.

Slack, Microsoft Teams, webhook and text message alerts are on the roadmap.

Which plan includes it

The IP lockout alert works in every plan. All other alerts, digests, delivery rules and the failed sign-in alert threshold are part of Pro.

How it works, for developers
  • With the master switch off, no alert hooks or alert tasks are registered at all. Settings: smg_notifications_enabled, smg_notifications_recipients, and per alert smg_notification_{id}_enabled, _delivery, _recipients, _subject.
  • New device sign-ins compare the browser and network with the last 20 known devices in user meta smg_known_devices. The first sign-in after switching it on only records the device.
  • Failed sign-in counts per address per hour use transients; the threshold is smg_notify_failed_threshold (default 3).
  • Update alerts are checked twice a day (smg_updates_check) and sent once per version (smg_notified_updates).
  • Location in alerts comes only from Cloudflare's country header or the local country database; visitor addresses are not sent to any outside service.

Quick answers about email alerts

What does Email alerts do in Stack Guard?

The Alert Matrix lists every alert in five groups: Access (administrator sign-ins, new devices, password changes, new administrators, role changes), Threats (lockouts, repeated failed sign-ins, new bans, 404 floods, firewall blocks), Integrity (malware, file changes, finished scans), Maintenance (updates, key reminders, license) and Reports (daily and weekly digests). Each alert has its own on switch, a severity, and a delivery choice: Immediate, Hourly summary or Digest only.

Why use email alerts on a WordPress site?

Protection works quietly. Alerts make sure you hear about the moments that need a person, such as an unexpected new administrator, while there is still time to act.

How do I set up email alerts?

1. Go to the Notifications tab, section Delivery, and switch on Email Alerts. 2. Add the default recipients. Without any, alerts go to the site admin email address. 3. Click Send Test Email and check it arrives, including in the spam folder. 4. In section Alerts, switch on the alerts you want and choose how each is delivered. Click an alert's edit button to send it to different people. 5. Click Save Changes.

Which Stack Guard plan includes email alerts?

The IP lockout alert works in every plan. All other alerts, digests, delivery rules and the failed sign-in alert threshold are part of Pro.

More in Notifications

Not running Stack Guard yet? It is free.

Download Free