How to set up hCaptcha

hCaptcha is an open-source, drop-in replacement for the proprietary reCAPTCHA system Google acquired in 2009. Today many people are replacing reCAPTCHA with hCaptcha because it’s faster and more secure. It also can be a source of revenue for site owners or a charity of their choice. The hCaptcha service offers financial incentives for website owners to earn rewards while blocking bots and other forms of abuse.

You can add hCaptcha to the following areas on your site:

  • Login
  • New User Registration
  • Reset Password
  • Comments

To set up hCaptcha, please navigate to Solid Security Pro -> Settings -> Features -> Firewall -> Captcha.

Here, you will go to "PROVIDER" and choose "hCaptcha" and click the link "hCaptcha site dashboard." to generate and add

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Once you click the link, you will be redirected to the hCaptcha site, where you will be prompted to create an account or log in.

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Once your account is created or you log in, you can click on the "New Site" button, and this will take you to a new page where you can add your site and set up your hCaptcha challenge preferences.

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Copy and paste your "Site Key" in the API Keys section back in your Solid Security Pro plugin. Now head back over to the hCaptcha site so we can get your "SECRET KEY".

In the top right-hand corner, you will click on the profile/image icon. A drop down menu will show up, and you will click on "Settings".

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Copy your "SECRET KEY" then head back over to your website and paste this key into the appropriate field.

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Now, you can customize lockouts to your preference and decide where you would like the captcha to show up. Don't forget to save the changes you made, then log out of your website and log back in so you can validate your keys. (Be sure to click "I agree to these terms" if you have enabled GDPR Opt-In)

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If you'd like more information on Cloudflare Turnstile, hCaptcha, the benefits, and the differences between their services and Google reCaptcha, please check out this blog post "New Turnstile and hCaptcha Support in Security Pro 7.3"

If you'd like more information on Bots, what they are, how they work? And how to help put a stop to them. Please see this blog post, "How to Stop Bad Bots: A Guide For WordPress Users"

We also have a training video available with our lead developer that covers some of the perks and benefits of using a captcha on your website: "Blocking Bots with Zero Friction and Better Privacy"

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