Turn Leech Protection on or off in cPanel

What is Leech Protection?

Some folders on your website need a password. Visitors type a username and password to open them. These are called password-protected folders.

Sometimes a person shares their login with friends or posts it online. Then many people use one account. This is called "leeching". It is like one library card used by a whole school.

Leech Protection watches for this. If one login is used from too many different places in two hours, cPanel can act. It can send you an email. It can also block that account from the folder. You choose what happens.

Note: Leech Protection only works on folders that already have a password. You set those up with Directory Privacy in cPanel.

Steps to turn it on

1. Log in to your client area at https://secure.hostvento.com/clientarea.php.
2. Open your hosting service and click the button to log in to cPanel.
3. Find the Security section.
4. Click Leech Protection.
5. Click the folder you want to protect. Click the folder name, not just the small icon.
6. In Number of Logins Per Username Allowed in a 2 Hour Period, type a number. Pick a number that fits your real visitors. A small number such as 4 is a common choice.
7. Type your email in Send the following Email Address When Leech is Detected. You will get a message when someone breaks the limit.
8. Tick Redirect Leech Users to the Following URL if you want leechers sent to a page. Type the full web address of that page.
9. Tick Disable Compromised Accounts if you want cPanel to lock the shared account.
10. Click Enable.

You will see a message saying Leech Protection is on.

Steps to turn it off

1. Go back to Leech Protection in cPanel.
2. Click the same folder.
3. Click Disable.

The folder keeps its password. Only the leech check stops.

If an account was disabled

A locked account stays locked until you fix it. Use Directory Privacy to give that user a new password. Tell the user not to share it.

If Leech Protection is missing from your cPanel, ask Hostvento support. You can open a ticket at https://secure.hostvento.com/submitticket.php.

Quick recap

• Leech Protection stops people from sharing one password-protected login.
• It lives under Security in cPanel.
• Pick a folder, set a login limit, add an email, then click Enable.
• Click Disable to turn it off again.
• The folder must already be password protected.