Wordpress: Customize the WordPress Login Error Message
Increase security on your WordPress login page by customizing error messages with this simple, effective snippet.
Customizing login error messages can enhance security by obscuring the reason for login failures, reducing the risk of successful brute force attacks. This snippet allows you to customize the error messages displayed on the WordPress login page.
By filtering the login_errors hook, the snippet replaces standard error messages with a generic response, thus not revealing whether the username or password was incorrect.
This approach helps in mitigating user enumeration attacks where attackers try to guess usernames based on error messages.
The snippet also provides a way to tailor error messages for a better user experience, suggesting secure login practices without giving away too much information to potential attackers.
Additional tips are provided on how to implement this in a multisite environment where managing user feedback across different sites can be challenging.
Snippet Code
Version Compatibility
This snippet is effective with WordPress 2.5 and later, where the login_errors filter was introduced.
Required PHP Version
PHP 5.2 or higher
Wordpress Core Functions Used
Use Cases
- security enhancements
- user experience
- custom admin pages