HELP! Locked out of my WP site due to 2FA?

  • Okay, there is a bit of a story here, so please be patient as I try to unravel what is going on.

    Several months ago, my site came under intense hacking attack. I mean like a thousand attempts per day. I kept changing my username and password, but within 24 hours of changing them, the hackers knew my username (Different question I want to pursue at a later time). Desperate to keep them out, I enable 2FA using the FreeOTP app to secure my site and keep the hackers out. All was well, until my smartphone crashed and bricked itself, requiring me to get a new phone. I had my phone backed up, but now FreeOTP is no longer connected to my site, and I have spent the last two months trying everything under the sun to get back into my site without success. My last ray of hope is that someone here can give me a lifeline.

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

  • You would have to disable the plugin that allows you to FreeOTP. To do this, log in to your hosting via FTP and delete the plugin directory of this plugin. After that you should be able to access without 2FA again. If not, it is best to contact the support of the plugin you are using for this purpose.

    Thread Starter victorb70

    (@victorb70)

    @threadi Thanks, but I did not use a plugin. My site is hosted with Ionos, and this is a built-in function of WordPress offered by Ionos. Besides, If cannot login, I cannot delete the plugin, because I have to login to access plugins.

    Thanks for trying though. I do appreciate it.

    There is no “build-in function” provided by a service provider. IONOS has surely only installed a plugin for you. You have to find and remove it. As already written, you can do this via FTP. You don’t need access to the WordPress backend. If you can’t do it yourself, contact the support of your hoster.

    Thread Starter victorb70

    (@victorb70)

    I am sorry, but you might do some research in to how the Ionos system works. I have FTP access, but Ionos host WordPress separately, and there is no access to it via FTP. You are thinking of a FTP installed version of WP on IONOS. That is not what I am using. I did not install WP on IONOS. It is offered directly by Ionos with no installation necessary. Thus it does not show up in the FTP directory when you access your hosting files via FTP.

    If you think I am wrong, please send me to a link that shows how to access it via FTP, because I can find no way. OH, and calling IONOS does not good because their Customer Support knows nothing about how WP works. I have spent days on the phone with them. It’s like talking to kangaroos.

    I know that IONOS offers these one-click installations. I know this from some projects. There I always had FTP access to this hosting and can also see and change the WordPress files. If this is not with you, it can be so by a contractual difference. Or it may be decided from country to country. This can’t be evaluated here in the WordPress support forum since everyone here uses WordPress as software and doesn’t know every hosting provider by heart.

    If their support can’t help you with that and you really don’t have any FTP access, then I would recommend moving to another hoster. If necessary you can get a backup of the project from IONOS to set it up somewhere else. If they can’t do that either, you could also look for someone to look at the case with you. You can find someone like that for example here: https://jobs.wordpress.net

    Thread Starter victorb70

    (@victorb70)

    I appreciate the input and you may very well be correct. However, IONOS is one of the largest host in the world, and my hope was that there might be at least one user on this forum that would have experience. Since you appear to be the only one responding, I am assuming that this forum has very few users.

    IONOS support is no different than any other support these days. Just monkeys pushing buttons to get bananas. You don’t get to talk to someone who actually knows anything about the system they support. All they know is what their computer screen is telling them to ask and do.

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
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