WordPress Security for Government and Public Sector Websites

Introduction

Government websites serve citizens and handle sensitive public data. These sites face sophisticated threats from nation-state actors and must comply with strict security and accessibility standards.

Government Security Requirements

Public sector sites must meet specific standards:

• FedRAMP - Federal cloud security requirements
• FISMA - Federal Information Security Management Act
• Section 508 - Accessibility requirements
• State requirements - Varying local compliance needs
• CISA guidelines - Cybersecurity best practices

Authentication and Access Control

Implement government-grade authentication:

Multi-Factor Authentication

// Require hardware tokens for admin access
function require_hardware_mfa($user_id) {
    $user = get_userdata($user_id);

    // Admin users require hardware token
    if (in_array('administrator', $user->roles)) {
        $has_hardware_token = get_user_meta($user_id, '_hardware_token_registered', true);

        if (!$has_hardware_token) {
            wp_die('Hardware security token required for administrator access.');
        }
    }
}
add_action('wp_login', function($user_login, $user) {
    require_hardware_mfa($user->ID);
}, 10, 2);

// PIV/CAC card authentication
function verify_piv_certificate() {
    // Check for client certificate
    if (empty($_SERVER['SSL_CLIENT_CERT'])) {
        return false;
    }

    $cert = openssl_x509_parse($_SERVER['SSL_CLIENT_CERT']);

    // Verify certificate is valid and not revoked
    // Check against approved certificate authorities
    // Validate user identity

    return $cert;
}

Data Classification and Protection

// Classify content sensitivity
function classify_content($post_id) {
    $content = get_post_field('post_content', $post_id);

    // Check for PII patterns
    $pii_patterns = array(
        'ssn' => '/d{3}-d{2}-d{4}/',
        'phone' => '/d{3}[-.]?d{3}[-.]?d{4}/',
        'email' => '/[a-z0-9._%+-]+@[a-z0-9.-]+.[a-z]{2,}/i',
    );

    $classification = 'public';

    foreach ($pii_patterns as $type => $pattern) {
        if (preg_match($pattern, $content)) {
            $classification = 'sensitive';
            update_post_meta($post_id, '_contains_pii', $type);
            break;
        }
    }

    update_post_meta($post_id, '_data_classification', $classification);

    return $classification;
}
add_action('save_post', 'classify_content');

// Restrict access based on classification
function check_classification_access($post_id) {
    $classification = get_post_meta($post_id, '_data_classification', true);

    if ($classification === 'sensitive') {
        if (!current_user_can('access_sensitive_data')) {
            wp_die('You do not have permission to view sensitive data.');
        }
    }
}

Comprehensive Audit Logging

// Government-grade audit logging
function government_audit_log($action, $details) {
    global $wpdb;

    $log_entry = array(
        'action' => $action,
        'user_id' => get_current_user_id(),
        'username' => wp_get_current_user()->user_login,
        'ip_address' => $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'],
        'user_agent' => $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'],
        'request_uri' => $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'],
        'request_method' => $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'],
        'details' => json_encode($details),
        'timestamp' => current_time('mysql'),
        'session_id' => session_id(),
    );

    // Store in database
    $wpdb->insert($wpdb->prefix . 'government_audit_log', $log_entry);

    // Also send to SIEM for real-time monitoring
    send_to_siem($log_entry);
}

// Log all administrative actions
add_action('updated_option', function($option, $old, $new) {
    government_audit_log('option_updated', array(
        'option' => $option,
        'changed' => true,
    ));
}, 10, 3);

add_action('user_register', function($user_id) {
    government_audit_log('user_created', array(
        'new_user_id' => $user_id,
    ));
});

Incident Response Procedures

// Automated incident detection and response
function detect_security_incident() {
    $incidents = array();

    // Check for brute force
    $failed_logins = get_recent_failed_logins(60); // Last hour
    if ($failed_logins > 50) {
        $incidents[] = array(
            'type' => 'brute_force',
            'severity' => 'high',
            'details' => "{$failed_logins} failed logins in last hour",
        );
    }

    // Check for unauthorized access attempts
    $blocked_requests = get_blocked_requests(60);
    if ($blocked_requests > 100) {
        $incidents[] = array(
            'type' => 'attack_detected',
            'severity' => 'high',
            'details' => "{$blocked_requests} blocked requests in last hour",
        );
    }

    // Report incidents
    foreach ($incidents as $incident) {
        report_security_incident($incident);
    }
}

function report_security_incident($incident) {
    // Log incident
    government_audit_log('security_incident', $incident);

    // Notify security team
    $security_team = get_option('wpfs_security_team_email');
    wp_mail(
        $security_team,
        "[SECURITY INCIDENT] {$incident['type']}",
        "Incident detected:

" . print_r($incident, true)
    );

    // If critical, activate incident response
    if ($incident['severity'] === 'critical') {
        activate_incident_response($incident);
    }
}

Accessibility Compliance

• WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance
• Screen reader compatibility
• Keyboard navigation support
• Color contrast requirements
• Alternative text for images

Conclusion

Government WordPress sites require hardened authentication, comprehensive audit logging, data classification, and incident response procedures. Meeting FedRAMP and accessibility requirements ensures secure, compliant public services.