Many WordPress website owners install Wordfence for security, see a steady stream of email reports arriving in their inbox, and then promptly ignore them.
The problem? Those reports often contain valuable information about attacks, vulnerabilities, login attempts, and security issues affecting your website. If nobody is reviewing them, you could miss early warning signs of a compromised site.
So, who is actually reading your Wordfence reports?
Why Wordfence Sends Email Reports
Wordfence is one of the most popular WordPress security plugins available. It continuously monitors your website for threats and sends email notifications when it detects activity that may require attention.
These reports are designed to help website owners and administrators:
- Monitor security threats
- Detect suspicious login activity
- Identify vulnerable plugins and themes
- Review firewall activity
- Confirm malware scan results
- Track overall website security health
Unfortunately, many website owners receive these emails without understanding what they’re telling them.
Common Wordfence Email Reports Explained
1. Scan Results Reports
These reports summarize the results of Wordfence’s malware and integrity scans.
You may see notifications about:
- Malware detected
- Modified core WordPress files
- Suspicious code found
- Vulnerable plugins
- Vulnerable themes
- Outdated software
What it means:
A scan report doesn’t always indicate a hacked website, but it should always be reviewed. Vulnerabilities and file modifications can become serious security risks if left unresolved.
2. Firewall Activity Reports
Wordfence’s firewall blocks malicious traffic before it can reach your website.
These reports may show:
- Blocked attacks
- Malicious IP addresses
- SQL injection attempts
- Cross-site scripting attacks
- Bot activity
Here is an example of a SQL injection attempt being blocked.
The Wordfence Web Application Firewall has blocked 156 attacks over
the last 10 minutes. Wordfence is blocking these attacks, and we’re sending this notice to
make you aware that there is a higher volume of the attacks than
usual.
Below is a sample of these recent attacks:
May 28, 2026 4:38am 89.124.110.78 (Netherlands) Blocked for SQL
Injection in POST body: input_3_3 =
0’XOR(if(now()=sysdate(),sleep(15),0))XOR’Z
May 28, 2026 4:37am 89.124.110.78 (Netherlands) Blocked for SQL
Injection in POST body: gform_currency =
What it means:
Most websites experience automated attacks every day. Firewall reports demonstrate that Wordfence is actively protecting your site. While these attacks are being blocked, we always have a look at the database to ensure that there have not been any unauthorized entries that may contain malware or provide access to hackers.
3. Login Security Alerts
These emails focus on authentication activity.
Examples include:
- Failed login attempts
- Locked-out users
- Administrator logins
- Two-factor authentication events
- Brute-force attack attempts
Here is an example of a user login being blocked.
A user with username “xxxxxxxxxxxxxx” tried to sign in to your WordPress site. Access was denied because the password being used exists on lists of passwords leaked in data breaches. Attackers use such lists to break into sites and install malicious code. With Wordfence, we always recommend that all Administrator accounts have Multi-Factor Authentication turned on and activated. This provides an extra layer of security to the website.
What it means:
Repeated failed login attempts often indicate bots attempting to guess passwords. A sudden increase in login activity may warrant closer investigation. In this example, the user password should be changed immediately because hackers will try to exploit the
4. Vulnerability Notifications
Wordfence monitors known security vulnerabilities affecting WordPress plugins, themes, and core software.
You may receive alerts indicating:
- A plugin contains a critical vulnerability
- A theme requires updating
- WordPress core has a security release available
Here is an example from a critical email report:
Critical Problems:
* The Plugin “Elementor” needs an upgrade (3.25.9 -> 4.1.1).
What it means:
These reports are often the most important. Vulnerabilities are frequently exploited by attackers within days—or even hours—of public disclosure. In this case, there is a critical vulnerability that exists in the plugin and the plugin should be updated to the latest version.
5. Weekly Activity Reports
Wordfence can send a weekly summary of website security activity.
These reports typically include:
- Number of attacks blocked
- Malware scan results
- Login statistics
- Firewall activity
- Security recommendations
Here is an example of a weekly report.
IP Address Country Block Count
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Vietnam 107
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx India 104
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx United Arab Emirates 102
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Togo 95
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Canada 14
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Canada 12
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Netherlands 10
What it means:
Think of these as your website’s weekly security health check. In this example, this is a weekly report from a low access website. It is important to understand that hackers don’t care, they will try to attack any website looking for vulnerabilities. If you think that your will not be attacked, think again!
6. Critical Security Alerts
These are high-priority notifications requiring immediate attention.
Examples include:
- Malware detected
- Administrator account compromise
- Critical vulnerabilities
- Suspicious file changes
Here is an example of several administrator logins.
A user with username “xxxxxxxxxx” who has administrator
access signed in to your WordPress site.
User IP: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
User hostname: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
User location: India
A user with username “xxxxxxxxxx” who has administrator
access signed in to your WordPress site.
User IP: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
User hostname: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
User location: Alberta, Canada
A user with username “xxxxxxxxxx” who has administrator
access signed in to your WordPress site.
User IP: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
User hostname: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
User location: Ludhiana, India
What it means:
These alerts should never be ignored. Immediate investigation is recommended. In this example, the same administrator account was accessed from three different locations. We know that two of these logins are not legitimate. We changed the password for the administrator account immediately and let the owner of the Administrator account know. Turns out, the Administrator reuses the same password on numerous websites.
Here is another example of a hacker gaining access to the website and injecting malicious code into plugins (I have removed the plugin name from the report).
Critical Problems:
* File appears to be malicious or unsafe: wp-content/uploads/backup/includes/common/utils/class-utils.php
* File appears to be malicious or unsafe: wp-content/plugins/includes/common/services/auditing/class-audit-csv-generator.php
* File appears to be malicious or unsafe: wp-content/uploads/backup/includes/common/services/preview/class-preview-cache-service.php
* File appears to be malicious or unsafe: wp-content/uploads/backup/includes/common/services/auditing/class-audit-csv-generator.php
What it means:
This means that a hacker has successfully breached the website. Sometimes, there will be other emails from the web hosting platform to let you know that your website contains malware. If these reports are ignored, some web hosting companies will take the website down. Other times, the website will be blacklisted (Google Safe Browsing is normally one of the first to detect malware and display the red screen indicating that the website is dangerous and contains malware). This malware must be removed, the website must be hardened, reports need to be sent to the blacklist companies explaining what steps were taken to remove the malware and protect the website from future attacks.
The Most Common Problem With These Reports: Nobody Reads Them
One of the most frequent situations we encounter is that Wordfence reports are being sent to:
- An old employee
- A former web developer
- A generic inbox nobody monitors
- An email account with thousands of unread messages
As a result, important security warnings go unnoticed for weeks or months.
A website may continue operating normally while attackers exploit vulnerabilities in the background.
Questions Every WordPress Website Owner Should Ask
Take a moment and ask yourself:
- Who receives our Wordfence emails?
- Are those emails actively monitored?
- Does someone understand the information in the reports?
- Are vulnerabilities being addressed promptly?
- Who responds when a critical alert is received?
If you’re unsure of the answer to any of these questions, it may be time to review your security processes.
Best Practices for Managing Wordfence Reports
To get the most value from Wordfence:
- Verify the correct email recipients are configured.
- Ensure multiple trusted people receive critical alerts.
- Review weekly reports regularly.
- Investigate critical alerts immediately.
- Keep WordPress, plugins, and themes updated.
- Work with a security professional if alerts are unclear.
Final Thoughts
Wordfence is an excellent security tool, but it can only protect your website effectively if someone is paying attention to the information it provides.
The next time a Wordfence email arrives, don’t simply archive or delete it.
Instead, ask yourself one simple question:
Who is reading the Wordfence reports for your WordPress website?
If the answer is “nobody,” your website may be less secure than you think.