Joomla 3 edition overview (v3.3.1)

MuRu Guard v3.3.1 is the Joomla 3 edition: the same scanning engine and the full Pro v5.3.1 feature set, ported to Joomla 3.10. It installs as a package: the scanner component and the real-time Shield plugin (2.5.1) together, since the protection is the whole point and is useless without both halves.

Requirements

• Joomla 3.10 (the edition targets the final Joomla 3 series). The Joomla Action Log review needs Joomla 3.9 or later (User Actions Log).
• PHP 7.4 or later.
• A Pro license for the Pro features below; Free scanning works with no key.

Installing

Download the Joomla 3 package from your dashboard (My Products, MuRu Guard, Downloads). The file ends in -j3.zip.

1. In the Joomla administrator: Extensions, Manage, Install, Upload Package File, and select the zip. Joomla installs the component and the Shield plugin in one step.
2. Open Components, MuRu Guard, run your first scan, and paste your license key in Settings, License to unlock Pro.
3. Enable Protection Mode under Site Protection, Firewall once Shield is active.

What is included in v3.3.1

Everything in the What's New article for 5.3.1 and the What's new in v5.3.0, What's new in v5.2.0 and What's new in v5.1.0 documentation categories applies to v3.3.1 unless the Joomla 3 parity article says otherwise:

• The 5.3.1 security and reliability fixes: a wider scan (includes, language, configuration.php, .htaccess and .user.ini), a Protection Log a visitor cannot erase, no auto-block lock-outs behind a proxy, Super User only file-writing actions, uninstall cleanup of .htaccess rules, and core file checks for Joomla 3.10.10 to 3.10.12.
• Country lookups on your own server: country blocking and the Threat Monitor's countries use the free DB-IP database stored on your site, so no visitor IP is sent anywhere.
• Trusted proxy IPs and a stronger scheduled-scan token, plus the other v5.3.0 security fixes (files hidden in look-alike folders, marking a file safe, administrators and high-severity payloads, the AI assistant's limits).
• PHP2Shell check (Pro) and an Upload lockdown that is ready for it. On Joomla 3 the notice asks your host for a patched PHP build or security backport.
• Scheduled scans from a real cron job: Settings now shows the site-side webcron address, because Joomla 3 sends every signed-out request in the administrator to the login page.
• Threat Monitor with attacks over time, top rules, a Low to Critical threat level, a filterable event log and Joomla security news (the 24 hour and 7 day views are free).
• A to F security grade, the clean and protected banner and the PHP version banner on the Dashboard.
• Upload lockdown (free) and the Pro PHP-in-uploads protection watch.
• Firewall additions: fake search-bot blocking and firewall exceptions (since Shield 2.4.0), on top of rate limiting and the method and User-Agent rules.
• New Pro audits: PHP configuration, Backup freshness and Weak administrator password, plus Alert rules and the scheduled client report.
• The v3.1.0 set (Pro v5.1.0): database privilege audit, Joomla Action Log review, update source integrity watch, mail authentication audit, runtime header probes and firewall rate limiting.
• The Shield virtual patch for un-updatable SP Page Builder, Helix, EasyStore and SP Property Finder builds, carried over from v2.0.0.

See Joomla 3 parity and differences for the exact deltas.