Prevent Direct Access Gold (PDA) WordPress Plugin

Have you ever realized that anybody can access the PDFs, ebooks, images or anything else you have uploaded on your WordPress blog in a matter of minutes? Well, even if you remove the page from view and delete it from your navigation menu, your files are still accessible. Anybody who finds or guesses your file’s direct link (e.g. ://yoursite.com...) will be able to download your file.

And if you do business with digital items or run an online training course, this will definitely cause trouble because the things that people should pay for become freely downloadable within minutes. This is where the Prevent Direct Access (PDA) Gold Plugin helps.

It’s high time we learned what the PDA Gold Plugin is all about and how it safeguards your valuable content.

Learn about Prevent Direct Access (PDA) Gold

Prevent Direct Access (PDA) Gold is a top-quality WordPress security plugin. It works like a security guard for your media folders. Its main job is to protect files—like PDFs, videos, audio files, images and Zip documents—from being accessed by people who are not supposed to.

If someone tries to open the file’s URL in their browser they won’t be able to download it. Instead they’ll get. Sent to a 404 error page or they might be redirected to a login page or any other page you set up. This keeps your files safe, from downloads.

Integration, with Other Plugins

PDA Gold works with the WordPress tools you already use:

• WooCommerce
  PDA Gold keeps your digital products safe by stopping hotlinking and link theft completely.
• LMS Platforms (LearnDash, LifterLMS)
  PDA Gold stops students from downloading your premium video lessons or PDF modules and sharing them.
• Membership Plugins (MemberPress, Ultimate Member)
  PDA Gold ensures paying active members can get their hands on your exclusive files.
• Cloud Storage (Amazon S3, Google Cloud, Wasabi)
  Out of hosting space? If you move your files to the cloud PDA Gold still locks them down as tightly.

Here Is How PDA Gold Works

If you are new to this you are probably wondering how this plugin actually does its magic, on your website.

The moment you protect a file PDA Gold joins forces with your web server—whether you are using Apache, LiteSpeed or Nginx. This plugin changes your server access rules for example your .htaccess file so that the server does not simply hand over this file automatically. Instead this plugin. Consults WordPress first asking: “Does this specific user have permission?” If the answer is no this plugin shuts the door instantly.

Here Are Some Features

• One-Click Instant Protection
  No need to deal with code or worry about server settings. Just go to your WordPress Media Library select the file you want to protect and click the protect button. Finished.
• Expiring Download Links
  A popular feature for people who sell digital products. You can create links for customers that disappear on their own. Decide by time (like active for 24 hours) or by number of clicks (like maximum 3 downloads). When the limit is reached the link stops working.
• User Role Access Control
  You are in control of who can see your files. For example you can lock a PDF so only users who are logged in and have a role—, like “Premium Member” or “Subscriber”—can download it.
• Search Engine Anti-Indexing
  Google tends to index PDFs on websites. If you are not careful your premium e-book might show up in search results for anyone to download for free. PDA Gold stops search robots completely making sure they do not find your files.

How to Download

1. Log in to your GPLShare account
2. Go to your download history
3. Download PDA Gold v3.3.14 from the list provided
4. Or download directly from this page if you have a premium membership
5. That’s it! Enjoy the full version of PDA Gold.

How to Install Plugin

1. Please ensure that you download the .zip file from GPLShare
2. Before installing, you must first unzip the prevent-direct-access-gold-3.3.14-pack.zip file
3. Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
4. Choose the .zip installer file and click Install Now
5. After installation, click Activate Plugin
6. Done! PDA Gold is now active on your site

How to Activate License

Basically, the license credentials are not required, as they are only needed to receive updates. However, if you wish to activate the license, here are the instructions

1. Once installed, navigate to the License section.
2. Enter the required license credentials. (The license credentials can be found inside the package file you downloaded.)
3. Done.