title: Leech Protection
created at: Tue Oct 22 2024 09:30:21 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
updated at: Sat Feb 08 2025 14:21:49 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
---
# Leech Protection
# Overview
The *Leech Protection* interface allows you to detect unusual levels of activity in password-restricted directories. After you set the maximum number of logins within a two-hour period, the system redirects or suspends users who exceed it. This is useful if, for example, someone posts a user’s login credentials on a public site.
!! Important
!! [Litespeed Web Server](https://www.litespeedtech.com/products/litespeed-web-server) does **not** support leech protection. To enable leech protection, we recommend that you use [Apache](https://www.apache.org/) . Enable leech protection
To enable leech protection for a directory, perform the following steps:
1. Click *Settings*, and then select one of the following locations in which to begin navigation:
* *Web Root (public\_html or www)* — Begin navigation in the document root for the account’s primary domain.
* *Document Root for* — Select the domain that corresponds to the document root in which you wish to begin navigation.
* To configure the interface to always open your selection from Step 1, select the *Always open this directory in the future* checkbox.
2. Click *Save Changes*.
3. Navigate to the directory that you wish to protect.
* Click the appropriate folder icon
to navigate to a different folder.
```
- Click the desired folder’s name to select it. A new interface will appear.
```
1. Enter the maximum number of logins that you wish to allow each user within a two-hour period.
2. To redirect users who exceed the maximum number of logins within a two-hour period, enter a URL to which you wish to redirect them.
3. To configure the system to send an email alert when *Leech Protection* activates, select the *Send Email Alert To* checkbox. Then, enter the email address to alert.
4. To disable an account that exceeds the maximum number of logins, select the *Disable Compromised Accounts* checkbox.
5. Click *Enable*.
# Manage users
To add, edit, and delete users, perform the following steps:
1. Navigate to a directory that you wish to protect with user-level protection.
* Click the appropriate folder icon
to navigate to a different folder.
```
- Click the desired folder’s name to select it. A new interface will appear.
```
1. Click *Manage Users* to navigate to cPanel’s [*Directory Privacy*](https://docs.cpanel.net/cpanel/files/directory-privacy/) interface for that folder (*cPanel » Home » Security » Directory Privacy*).
!! Note
!! To manage users manually, edit the `/home/USERNAME/.htpasswds/public_html/passwd` file, where `USERNAME` represents the account name.
# Disable leech protection
To disable leech protection, perform the following steps:
1. Navigate to the directory for which you wish to disable leech protection.
* Click the appropriate folder icon (
```
) to navigate to a different folder.
- Click the desired folder’s name to select it.
```
1. Click *Disable*.