Steel Security 1.1.0 is now available in the official WordPress plugin repository.
This release represents a meaningful step forward for both the Free and Pro editions, with a strong focus on improving practical security capabilities, refining hardening workflows, and making it easier to understand the overall security posture of a WordPress site.
More Useful Security Checks
A major focus of 1.1.0 has been continuing to improve the quality and usefulness of Steel Security's scanning capabilities.
The goal is not simply to generate more warnings.
A useful security tool should help identify issues that actually matter, explain why they matter, and make it easier to decide what should be addressed first.
Version 1.1.0 includes new and refined security checks designed to provide better visibility into common WordPress configuration and hardening concerns.
This work also continues to improve the distinction between identifying risk and actually improving the site's configuration.
Improved WordPress Hardening
Steel Security is built around both scanning and hardening.
Scanning tells you what the plugin finds.
Hardening helps you do something about it.
The 1.1.0 release includes continued improvements to the hardening workflow, with the aim of making security changes more understandable and manageable for site owners and developers.
Rather than hiding configuration changes behind a single generic "secure my site" button, Steel Security is designed to make those changes visible.
You should be able to understand what is being changed and why.
Better Visibility Into Security Posture
One of the ideas behind Steel Security is that a single security score rarely tells the whole story.
A site can have relatively few detected risks while still having very little proactive hardening in place.
Likewise, a heavily hardened site may still contain issues that require attention.
Steel Security separates those concepts through:
- Scan Risk Score
- Hardening Posture Score
The ongoing reporting improvements in 1.1.0 continue to make that distinction clearer.
The objective is to give administrators a better picture of both the problems that exist and the protections that are already in place.
Continued Development of Steel Security Pro
The Pro edition has also received significant work alongside the Free release.
That includes continued development of additional security and management capabilities as well as improvements to the infrastructure surrounding licensing and software updates.
One important change is the groundwork for native WordPress update delivery for Steel Security Pro.
The intention is for Pro customers to receive update notifications directly within WordPress and install new releases through the normal WordPress update interface, rather than having to manually download and replace plugin ZIP files.
This allows the Free and Pro editions to maintain independent release channels while still providing a familiar WordPress experience.
Keeping Free Useful
Maintaining a meaningful Free edition remains important.
Steel Security Free is not intended to exist simply as a limited demo for Pro.
The Free plugin will continue to provide useful scanning and hardening functionality on its own.
Pro builds on that foundation for users who need additional security controls, monitoring, automation, and management capabilities.
Keeping that boundary clear is something I have been paying particular attention to as the project grows.
Building the Foundation for What Comes Next
Some of the most important work in 1.1.0 is not necessarily visible as a new button or screen.
There has also been considerable work around reliability, compatibility, code quality, Free/Pro integration, licensing, update delivery, and the broader infrastructure surrounding Steel Security.
That foundation matters because the project is continuing to expand beyond a simple collection of WordPress security checks.
There is more planned around monitoring, documentation, reporting, and helping site owners understand changes in the security posture of their sites over time.
The goal remains the same: practical WordPress security without unnecessary complexity.
Steel Security 1.1.0 Is Available Now
Steel Security 1.1.0 is now live in the official WordPress plugin repository.
Existing users can update directly through the normal WordPress plugin update system.
If you have not tried Steel Security yet, you can install the Free edition directly from WordPress and start with a scan of your current site configuration.
Development is continuing, and 1.1.0 gives the project a much stronger foundation for the releases ahead.