Ruud over at Online Community Hub dropped me a note this week asking if I'd seen the new ochSimpleFirewall โ and the answer was "not yet," so this week's Watch Me Work is a live revisit. I last looked at OCH's firewall back when it was a single Joomla system plugin. The new release is a complete rewrite: now it's a full extension with four moving parts working together. Live on screen we may:
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Install ochSimpleFirewall on a test Joomla site
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Walk through the four pieces โ Extension UI, System Plugin, Tasks Scheduler Plugin, and Admin Dashboard Module
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Look at the 350+ AI-bot blocklist (a real concern for any Joomla site getting hammered by scrapers)
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Set up GeoIP country filtering and look at the Fail2Ban hook
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Configure account protection โ inactivity expiration, simultaneous login limits, new-device login notifications
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Pull up the activity report graphs and see what it's catching
If you run a Joomla site that's getting more bot traffic than human traffic these days โ or you're tired of stitching together separate extensions for IP blocking, country blocking, and login monitoring โ this is the one to watch.
๐ Links mentioned in the video:
- ochSimpleFirewall: https://onlinecommunityhub.nl/joomla-...
- Online Community Hub (Ruud's site): https://onlinecommunityhub.nl
- Cybersalt's Pro Joomla Extensions list: https://www.cybersalt.com/joomla/pro-...
Joomla compatibility: 5.3, 5.4, 6.0, 6.1 PHP: 8.1 through 8.5
00:00:00 โ Intro,Sponsors and Revisiting OCH Simple Firewall
00:05:26 โ Install on Staging Site
00:09:07 โ Key Features: IP Sets, GeoIP, Scanner Rules
00:20:31 โ Admin Folder Protection
00:22:40 โ New Device Login Alerts
00:28:33 โ Dashboard Module Setup
00:34:46 โ Live Test on Cybersalt.org
00:48:43 โ New Joomla Extensions Roundup
00:56:39 โ Fixing AI Article Images
01:15:48 โ Why No Text on Editorial Images
01:24:37 โ API Setup
02:01:41 โ Sneak Peek: Joomla MCP for 4SEO
02:08:06 โ Cloudflare Cache Fix
02:14:19 โ Outro & Blessing
Summary
1. Stream Kickoff & Topic Introduction:
Tim opens the stream, thanks sponsors, and introduces the topic: revisiting OCH Simple Firewallโa security extension for Joomla that protects against malicious traffic.
2. Installation on Staging Site:
A staging site is set up using StageIt for safe testing, and the OCH Simple Firewall extension is downloaded and installed.
3. Key Features Overview:
Tim walks through the firewall's core features, including IP Sets for whitelisting/blacklisting, GeoIP blocking to restrict traffic by country, and Scanner Rules for detecting malicious activity.
4. Admin Folder Protection:
The extension's ability to protect the Joomla administrator folder is demonstrated, adding an extra layer of security against brute force attacks.
5. New Device Login Alerts:
A useful feature is highlighted: email alerts when a new device logs into the site, helping administrators spot unauthorized access immediately.
6. Dashboard Module Setup:
Tim configures the firewall's dashboard module, showing how to display security statistics and recent blocked threats right in the admin panel.
7. Live Test on Cybersalt.org:
The firewall is tested on a live site (cybersalt.org), demonstrating real-time blocking of malicious IPs and showing the audit logs in action.
8. New Joomla Extensions Roundup:
Tim highlights several new extensions from the Joomla Extension Directory, giving viewers fresh tools to explore.
9. Fixing AI Article Images & API Setup:
The stream shifts to troubleshooting AI-generated article images, discussing why editorial images often lack text and walking through API configuration for better image handling.
10. Sneak Peek, Cloudflare Fix & Wrap-Up:
Tim offers a sneak peek at a Joomla MCP integration for 4SEO, demonstrates a Cloudflare cache fix for improved performance, and ends the stream with a blessing and sign-off.
Please send any feedback or bug reports or queries to;
Contact Tim Davis โบ
Joomla Training Cohort โบ https://cybersalt.com/jtc
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