Blackhole for Bad Bots
by Jeff Starr · Security
Also makes 30 other plugins · 1.1M+ installs across the portfolio →
Blackhole is a WordPress security plugin that detects and traps bad bots in a virtual black hole, where they are denied access to your entire site.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
A 91/100
no flags
Active installs
30K+
≈38K estimated
Momentum
-35%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “anti spam” and “security” for “bot protection” and “virtual”. “anti spam” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “bot protection” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “security” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “virtual” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
91 health vs 66 average across 1,786 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.0%
of downloads still active
At least 30K of 991.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,061 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 6 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 74 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.7★ over 148 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.5★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
2 of 3 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
38
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.3
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
18%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.2
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| bots your tag | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| bad | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| bad bots | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| blackhole your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| denied | #2 | #1 | 0 |
| black | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| stop bad bots | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| bot | #3 | #4 | up 2 |
| honeypot your tag | #10 | #6 | up 1 |
| spam bots | #4 | #4 | 0 |
| where | #15 | #14 | 0 |
| bot protection | #12 | #12 | down 1 |
| anti spam bots | #7 | #5 | — |
| black page | #9 | #8 | up 1 |
| virtual | #24 | #12 | down 3 |
| black wordpress | #14 | #9 | 0 |
| anti spam bot | #15 | #8 | 0 |
| virtual site | #19 | #10 | down 4 |
| anti spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
179 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 18 listed. 161 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “anti spam” and “security” for “bot protection” and “virtual”. “anti spam” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “bot protection” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “security” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “virtual” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 47.9K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
6
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v3.8.4 · 21 Aug 2026
44
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 76% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “30K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5.4 years ago; the previous band took 13 months to cross, which places it about 80% of the way through.
Install history since 9 Oct 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ athinaok7mo ago
Plug in has many problems with Cloudflare
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ron44124112mo ago
n/a This topic was modified 8 months ago by ron441241. This topic was modified 8 months ago by ron441241.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Krzysztof1.5y ago
Hi. It seems to be doing its job. I am happy with it. Thanks 🙂 [Blackhole for Bad Bots]
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wordwiseweb1.6y ago
I appreciate the protection Blackhole for Badbots has given me for a couple of years, but suddenly I’m getting emails from Google saying their crawlers have been blocked and, within two days, my ranking has plummeted.I know the issue is the caching, and there are posts online about this for when the plugin’s used alongside Siteground’s Optimizer, but after obeying the instructions (there’s only one type of caching you’re supposed to use, apparently), after a lull of a week or so and getting a Google validation fix confirmation, I’m getting the Google emails again. Nothing’s changed in that time?I’m obeying the instructions, but still Google is being blocked? Why on earth would it block Google? Yes, I could stop using all caching, but then my site gets slower and that will also affect my ranking.I’ve had to deactivate the plugin, and I won’t be using it again. I’m hoping my Google ranking quickly recovers, as I spotted the drop fairly quickly. This will cost me money …
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ silversky991.7y ago
More than 6 months after deletion its still generating trash pages on Google Search Console(thousands). Even after cleaning everything. Still generating…
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ nmrockswp1.7y ago
Together with BBQ Firewall the best plugin for WordPress security!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cole19692.1y ago
Very Well done!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ abctaylor2.1y ago
Didn’t work in testing on latest WP + Nginx 1.14.1 when following the nofollow link. The logs should at least be viewable to the site admin, it’s just mean gatekeeping that. This topic was modified 1 year, 10 months ago by abctaylor.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 3.8.2 Updates Help tab information Improves accuracy of GeoIP lookups Fixes bug with reset options Updates plugin settings page Adds settings page for pro version Improves readme.txt documentation Tests on WordPress 7.0 Full c 3.8.2
- — Version 3.8.3 Improves nonce security (Thanks Averon Averenkov ) Updates plugin settings page Tests on WordPress 7.1 3.8.3
- — Version 3.8.4 Special thanks to Averon Averenkov ) for helping to improve the security and usability of this plugin. Removes chrome and other strings from default whitelist Mitigates cache incompatibility with checks for WP_CACHE Impr 3.8.4
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (3.8.4). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched High · 7.2 Blackhole for Bad Bots <= 3.8 - Unauthenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting via User-Agent HTTP Header ↗2026-03-25 CVE-2026-4329 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 3.8 Patched in 3.8.1
- Patched Critical · 9.1 Blackhole for Bad Bots <= 3.3.1 - Arbitrary IP Address Blocking via IP Spoofing ↗2022-01-31 CVE-2022-1165 Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key Affects < 3.3.2 Patched in 3.3.2
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 11 languages, 2 at 90% or more
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
5 of 8 pass · checked 2 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 24 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 24 of 24 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("use this"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Google Analytics, REST API.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 5 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 4,953 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "anti-spam", "honeypot" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2021-06-15 20K+ → 30K+ up after 398 days in tier
- 2020-05-13 10K+ → 20K+ up after 585 days in tier
- 2018-10-06 9K+ → 10K+ up after 41 days in tier
- 2018-08-26 5K+ → 9K+ up after 292 days in tier
- 2017-11-07 3K+ → 5K+ up after 364 days in tier
- 2016-11-08 400+ → 3K+ up after 221 days in tier
- 2016-04-01 300+ → 400+ up after 10 days in tier
- 2016-03-22 30+ → 300+ up
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
CloudSecure WP Security 100K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A -
BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
Gravity Forms Zero Spam 100K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
Login No Captcha reCAPTCHA 50K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning 30K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Blackhole for Bad Bots into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/blackhole-bad-bots" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Blackhole for Bad Bots — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Blackhole for Bad Bots: 30K+ active installs, 4.7★ (148 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/blackhole-bad-bots
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.