Essential Drupal security modules with best practices to keep your site secure from potential threats.
This article was originally published on June 27, 2023, and last updated in November 2025.
Website security is not a set-it-and-forget-it task, but an ongoing process that needs constant attention. After all, it’s better to prevent a disaster than to respond to one. Fortunately, having a Drupal website provides some assurance as the Drupal security team will resolve reported security issues promptly and efficiently.
Examining Drupal’s vulnerability statistics by CVE Details can provide useful insights.
To further bolster Drupal’s web security, make sure to explore various security modules from categories such as Security, User Access & Authentication, and Spam Prevention. However, before installing a module, it’s also essential to check its level of activity and purpose.
Authentication is the first line of defense for any Drupal website. After all, you can’t deal much damage if you have no access. Strengthening login processes with the right modules helps to reduce the risk of brute force attacks, credential theft, and unauthorized access. Drupal offers several tools that help to increase this aspect of a website’s security.
Reported installations: 24,434
Function: This module helps site administrators add restrictions to the login flows in a Drupal site. For instance, one can limit the number of invalid authentication attempts before blocking an account, deny access from specific IPs, and so on. It also notifies you over email or through Nagios notifications if the login form is under attack with brute force methods or username/password guessing attempts.
Reported installations: 11,930
Function: This module allows site administrators to define two-factor authentication strategies. It offers a range of mechanisms — time-based one-time passwords/PINs, codes delivered over text messages, pre-generated codes, and more.
Reported installations: 38,998
Function: This module automatically logs out users after a period of inactivity. While it may sound simple, it plays a critical role in security. Many users forget to sign out when they finish, and if an account remains open on a shared or public computer, anyone could gain access to the site. By enforcing automatic session termination, this module removes that risk factor.
Strong passwords are one of the simplest yet most effective defenses against unauthorized access. Drupal’s Password Policy module helps enforce that standard.
Reported installations: 11,930
Function: This module allows site administrators to define two-factor authentication strategies. It offers a range of mechanisms — time-based one-time passwords/PINs, codes delivered over text messages, pre-generated codes, and more.
Even well-built sites can develop hidden weaknesses over time. Drupal Security Review modules provide automated checks and safeguards to spot and reduce risks before they become serious issues.
Reported installations: 69,696
Function: Drupal Security Kit is a comprehensive toolbox for reducing the risk of common web attacks. It gives administrators fine-grained control over HTTP headers and other security-related settings to guard against threats like cross-site scripting (XSS), cross-site request forgery (CSRF), and clickjacking. Beyond simply blocking known exploits, it helps enforce modern browser security standards, ensuring safer interactions for users.
Reported installations: 17,607
Function: The Drupal Security Review module automates a lot of tests that help you determine if your site is vulnerable to common attack vectors. It scans for XSS issues, the presence of PHP or JavaScript in content, as well as the possibility of arbitrary PHP execution and SQL injection attacks.
Spam not only clutters your site but can also damage credibility and frustrate real users. Here are some Drupal security modules that quietly but effectively keep spambots out of your forms.
Reported installations: 251,997
Function: The Captcha module protects your site’s forms from automated spam submissions by requiring users to complete a simple challenge before submitting. It can be applied to login pages, registration forms, comment fields, or any other form on your site. By adding this extra step, you make it significantly harder for bots to flood your site with fake accounts or spam content, while still keeping the process straightforward for real users.
Reported installations: 68,771
Function: Unlike Captcha, Antibot is more subtle in its work. Instead of breaking the user’s immersion by asking him to solve puzzles or do other tasks, it waits for such human inputs as mouse movements. Since bots can’t typically simulate these actions, the module can block automated submissions without affecting the user experience.
Used together, Captcha and Antibot cover both sides of the problem. One makes sure suspicious traffic is tested, the other quietly filters out bots in the background. The result is strong protection that doesn’t get in the way of genuine visitors.
Client: A mid-sized ecommerce company approached us after noticing that their Drupal site had become unstable — an issue similar to what we had solved in the University of Applied Sciences website project. Pages were loading slowly, security warnings appeared in admin reports, and customers were already complaining about downtime during peak shopping hours.
Challenge: Our audit revealed multiple risks: an outdated Drupal core and modules, weak security configurations, and no clear update strategy. Several vulnerabilities were publicly known, meaning attackers could have easily exploited them. The client’s reputation and revenue were already at stake — one serious breach could have caused major financial and trust losses.
Solution: We worked with the client to prioritize fixes. First, we updated the Drupal core and all security-related modules, closing security gaps immediately. Next, we reconfigured user permissions, tightened password policies, and added spam-prevention tools to secure customer interactions. Finally, we optimized hosting and monitoring so that any unusual activity would be flagged right away.
Result: Within weeks, the site was faster, safer, and more reliable. Customers stopped reporting downtime, checkout errors decreased, and the business regained confidence in its digital platform. Most importantly, the client now has a proactive maintenance and security plan in place — preventing future crises rather than reacting to them.
To keep your site protected, follow these Drupal security best practices:
Security isn’t a box you tick once and move on. It is something that needs to be continuously taken care of through regular updates. The security arms race is a real thing – new dangers arise every day, and the thing that guaranteed safety yesterday may become an Achilles heel tomorrow.
In the end, it comes down to consistency. Turning the whole process of updating the website into routine maintenance helps a lot. Data backups, patches, passwords – when all this is treated like something regular, and not an emergency, you get a solid security system that will always be relevant.
If you’d rather not leave it to chance, Attico’s Drupal consulting services can help. We’ll make sure your site gets the right protection, and that those protections keep working as your business grows.
