Protection Against Account Sharing and Data Theft
The Leech Protection feature protects your password-protected directories from unauthorized sharing of login credentials. If a user account records an unusually high number of logins from different locations within a short period (2 hours), the system identifies this as "leeching" and takes protective action.
The Principle: You determine how many logins per user are allowed within a two-hour window. If this limit is exceeded, you can automatically redirect the user or suspend the account entirely.
Setting Up Leech Protection
- Navigate to Security » Leech Protection in cPanel.
- Select the directory you wish to protect (use the folder icon to navigate into subfolders if necessary).
- Click on the name of the folder.
Configuration Settings
Once you have selected a folder, you can define the following security rules:
➤ Login Limit
Enter the maximum number of allowed logins per 2 hours (a standard value of 4 is usually recommended).
Enter the maximum number of allowed logins per 2 hours (a standard value of 4 is usually recommended).
➤ Redirect URL
Where should the user be sent when the limit is reached? (e.g., a page explaining the terms of use).
Where should the user be sent when the limit is reached? (e.g., a page explaining the terms of use).
➤ Disable Account
Enable this field to automatically and immediately suspend compromised accounts.
Enable this field to automatically and immediately suspend compromised accounts.
➤ Email Alert
Receive a notification as soon as the system intervenes to stay informed about potential attacks.
Receive a notification as soon as the system intervenes to stay informed about potential attacks.
Disabling and Management
To remove the protection, select the directory again and click the Disable button.
Important: Leech Protection only works for directories that are already password-protected. If you haven't created any users yet, you can do so via the Directory Privacy function in cPanel.
Tip: Use this tool especially for VIP areas or paid download content
to maintain the exclusivity of your offers.
