Leech protection is a standard security mechanism in cPanel. When a user publically posts their credentials (username and password) on their websites, the unauthorized users can use these credentials and access the secured areas of the website. This process is known as Leeching. Leech protection prevents the users to publically posts their credentials to the restricted area of the website and also prevents the user to access the other accounts by attempting with multiple passwords. It also protects the user undergoing multiple logins within a short period of time.
Leech protect limits the time for the users accessing the secured area of the website. It provides only two hours of time for a user to access the secured area of a website. If the limited time period is crossed, then it will redirect the user to another URL and disables the account by sending an alert e-mail. Leech protection can be enabled by setting the limit for the number of logins per username for a time period of two hours. This limit can be set up to a maximum of four and the URL for redirecting leech users should be mentioned.
Steps for enabling leech protection for a directory:
- Login to cPanel.
- Under the section Security, click the option ‘Leech protection’.
- Select the directory which is needed to be protected.
- Under Setup, Leech Protection type the number of logins to be allowed per username for a period of two hours
- Type an URL to redirect users to another web page when their account is compromised.
- Select the option Send Email Alert and type an email address to receive an alert message when an account is compromised.
- Click Enable for activating the leech protect for the directory.
Steps for disabling the leech protection for a directory:
- Login to cPanel.
- Under the section Security, click the option ‘Leech protection’.
- Select the name of the directory which is to disabled. Directories enabled with leech protection has a small image of a leech next to it.
- Click Disable for disabling the leech protection.