How to Use Leech Protection in cPanel

Leech Protection helps prevent unauthorized sharing of login credentials for password-protected areas of your website. If someone shares their username and password, Leech Protection can detect excessive logins and take action automatically.

What Leech Protection Does

When enabled, Leech Protection monitors login attempts to a protected directory. If a user logs in more times than your defined threshold within a short period, cPanel can redirect them, disable their account, or send you an email alert. This is especially useful for membership sites or areas with paid content.

How to Set Up Leech Protection

1. Log in to your cPanel account at yourdomain.com/cpanel.
2. Navigate to the Security section and click Leech Protection.
3. Browse to the directory you want to protect using the file tree on the left.
4. Set the Maximum Number of Logins Per Username Per Two Hours - a value between 2 and 99.
5. Enter a Redirect URL where offending users will be sent.
6. Optionally, check Send Email Alert to notify yourself when a leech is detected.
7. Check Disable Compromised Accounts to automatically lock out abused usernames.
8. Click Enable to activate protection on that directory.

Important Notes

Leech Protection only works on directories that are already password-protected using cPanel's Directory Privacy feature. Make sure the target folder has a password assigned before enabling Leech Protection.

Be careful when setting thresholds - setting the limit too low may lock out legitimate users who refresh pages frequently or use shared accounts.

If you need help configuring Leech Protection for your dotCanada hosting account, please contact our support team and we'll be happy to assist.