Recommended installation flow
Install and activate `Steel Security & Hardening – Site Audit Tools` from your plugin ZIP or the WordPress plugins screen.
After activation, open the Steel Security admin menu and run an initial manual scan before enabling hardening controls.
If you are using Pro, install the `Steel Security Pro` ZIP only after Free is active. Pro depends on the Free plugin and will deactivate itself if Free is missing.
- Activate Free
- Open the dashboard
- Run a scan
- Review findings and Recommended Actions
- Install Pro only if you need Pro features
What to expect after activation
The dashboard summarizes scan risk, hardening posture, last scan state, and Recommended Actions.
The Server Protection page can also show current-state Fail2Ban or cPHulk telemetry later if a server administrator connects a supported reporter.
No automatic scan is run on activation in the current 1.1.0 workflow. The expected flow is `Run Scan → Review Findings → Take Action → Run Scan Again`.
Pro activation basics
After Pro is activated, licensing is handled from the Pro page inside Steel Security.
You can connect your account through the account portal or paste a combined token in the format `PUBLIC_ID.SECRET`.