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Essential Headers

Put the HTTP security headers WordPress leaves out—on every response.

One plugin. Clear settings. Browsers get CSP, HSTS, frame protection, and the rest—so your site stops shipping soft defaults.

Hardens responses with the headers security scanners look for.

Browser enforced

Six protections on every response

Without it

Default WordPress leaves the response soft

HTTP security headers tell the browser how to behave. Skip them and you rely on hope—while audit tools, insurers, and attackers all notice the gap.

Missing by default

A fresh WordPress install rarely sends CSP, HSTS, frame guards, or referrer rules. Scanners flag it. Browsers get no instructions.

Easy to embed

Without X-Frame-Options or frame-ancestors, attackers can wrap your login or checkout in an iframe and trick clicks.

Guessed content types

MIME sniffing lets a browser treat an uploaded file as a script. One nosniff header closes that door.

What it fixes

From open response to instructed browser

Essential Headers attaches the missing instructions so modern browsers enforce the protections your theme and plugins never send.

  • Before

    Pages can be framed

    After · X-Frame-Options

    SAMEORIGIN / DENY blocks hostile embeds

  • Before

    HTTP stickiness is optional

    After · Strict-Transport-Security

    HSTS keeps return visits on HTTPS

  • Before

    Scripts load from anywhere

    After · Content-Security-Policy

    CSP narrows what can execute

  • Before

    Browsers sniff MIME types

    After · X-Content-Type-Options

    nosniff stops type confusion

What it does

Instruct the browser on every response

Essential Headers adds the HTTP security headers WordPress should send—so protection is not left to chance or buried in server config.

  • The headers that matter

    CSP, HSTS, frame options, nosniff, referrer policy, and permissions policy—configured once, sent on every front-end response.

  • WordPress-native settings

    Clear toggles and values in wp-admin. No server config files, no .htaccess archaeology, no guessing header syntax.

  • Safe defaults, editable values

    Ship with sensible starting values, then tighten CSP or HSTS when you are ready—without rewriting plugin code.

  • Works with your stack

    Complements caching, CDN, and security plugins by filling the response-header gap they often leave alone.

  • Scanner-friendly

    Addresses the exact checks tools like securityheaders.com and Mozilla Observatory look for on WordPress sites.

  • Focused by design

    One job: essential HTTP headers. No firewall suite, no bloat, no dashboard you will never open again.

Headers covered

  • Content-Security-Policy

    Stops unexpected scripts and resource loads from running.

  • Strict-Transport-Security

    Forces browsers to stay on HTTPS after the first visit.

  • X-Frame-Options

    Blocks your pages from being embedded in hostile iframes.

  • X-Content-Type-Options

    Prevents browsers from guessing file types incorrectly.

  • Referrer-Policy

    Controls how much URL data leaves with outbound clicks.

  • Permissions-Policy

    Limits camera, mic, geolocation, and other browser APIs.

How it works

Three steps to a harder response

Install, configure, confirm. No rewrite rules. No DevOps side quest.

  1. 01

    Install & activate

    Add Essential Headers from your plugins screen and turn it on. No server shell required.

  2. 02

    Choose your headers

    Enable the protections you need. Start with defaults, then tighten CSP or HSTS when ready.

  3. 03

    Verify the response

    Reload any page, inspect headers, or run a scanner—you should see the protections land on every response.

Get started

Harden your WordPress responses today

Install Essential Headers, flip on the protections you need, and give every visitor a response the browser can actually enforce.