WebDefender Security – Protection & AntiSpam
by CobWeb Security Ltd. · Security
PRO Security – Antivirus Scanner, 2-Layer Protection Hide Security, Brute Force Security & Antispam, Security Website and Security Hardening.
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Health
B 73/100
no flags
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+16%
low volume, under 1,000 downloads a month
Biggest opportunity: Swap “protection” for “malware”. “protection” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “malware” sits at #24 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
73 health vs 66 average across 1,786 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.4%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 278.3K lifetime downloads are still running, below 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.
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
Well tuned across the board
Updated 287 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11; the current branch is 7.1
4.0★ over 18 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.1★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
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.
34
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.4
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
8%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| antivirus | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| antispam security | #9 | #19 | 0 |
| antispam | #14 | #18 | down 1 |
| website antivirus | #5 | #9 | 0 |
| malware scanner your tag | #24 | #18 | down 1 |
| antispam protection | #13 | #20 | down 1 |
| malware | #24 | #20 | down 2 |
| antispam wordpress | #14 | #20 | 0 |
| brute force prevention | #17 | #13 | 0 |
| malware protection | #21 | #22 | down 1 |
| extra layer security | #23 | #23 | — |
| protection your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security plugin your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wordpress security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
92 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 11 listed. 81 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “protection” for “malware”. “protection” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “malware” 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 10.2K · 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.
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 89% 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 “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2 years ago; the previous band took 2.1 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 2 Mar 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ hubdi1235.3y ago
Annoying advertising and SCAM. Not trustworthy.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Russell6.6y ago
This plugin does not nothing unless you buy it, near $100 bucks a year. Another liar claiming free. It’s only a 30 day trial and you must sign up now to even scan anything much less detection and removal. Too bad there is no zero rating.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ UN_Rick6.7y ago
Thank you for providing this plugin. With Smart Protection > Anti-Bot, Anti-Spam, and Brute Force Protection enabled spam has dropped by about 95% across dozens of sites. Better results than any other plugin I’ve tried (and I’ve tried many). I’m amazed this plugin doesn’t have a million active installations. Best kept secret on WordPress. *Note, be careful with the hide function – it’s a nice feature but can cause problems on some sites and is not necessary if all you want is the anti-spam functions.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kuro7.1y ago
Amazing Plugin, it’s really worth having. I always use it against malwares 🙂 This topic was modified 6 years, 4 months ago by marouane91.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kapara8.4y ago
perfect. life saver. i sleep better now.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ simplemedia18.7y ago
Help us to secure our website and to remove some vulnerabilities. Very recommended!!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hackrepair9.1y ago
I’ve been testing this plugin on a number of compromised and not compromised accounts. The good. Bonus points for initial ease of use and graphical interface. This is quite possibly the tidiest looking security plugin I’ve ever seen. The not so good. Legitimate coding within WordPress core and coding within many well-regarded plugins and themes is marked in bold red colored text, with phrases like, “Server malware detected. Might be a malicious or hacker’s scripts” or “Danger! Malicious or suspicious files have been detected on the website”. A fresh installation of WordPress with stock plugins, themes and a few well-known plugins installed from the WordPress repository return the warning, “Danger! Malicious or suspicious files have been detected on the website.” An example: The readme.txt file of a well know security plugin with over 2 million active installs is marked as “Server malware detected. Might be a malicious or hacker’s scripts.” Obvious false positives like the one above are immediately followed by the phrase: “Most likely the website has been compromised. Please, contact security experts or experienced webmaster immediately to clean up the website from malware” and then, “Feel free to contact us, and for a reasonable fee we will be glad to help you!” Conclusion. A person who is not familiar with basic security terminology or able to read basic PHP coding may find the results of the scans run by the Security Antivirus Scanner – CWIS troubling, to say the least. This topic was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by hackrepair.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mike V. Gorbunov9.6y ago
Looks very promising and works fast
Read on wp.org ↗
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 2 languages, 0 at 90% or more · development strings
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
6 of 8 pass · checked 30 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "PRO Security – Antivirus Scanner, 2-Layer Protection Hide Security, Brute Force Security & Antispam, Securi..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 6 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 6 of 6 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you have"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 28 headings and 22 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 13,577 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "malware scanner", "wordpress security" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-10-28 2K+ → 1K+ down after 755 days in tier
- 2022-10-04 1K+ → 2K+ 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).
-
SP Move Login 6K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags B -
NETSENSAI Shield 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags A -
SX User Name Security 700+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags C -
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WebDefender Security – Protection & AntiSpam into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/cwis-antivirus-malware-detected" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WebDefender Security – Protection & AntiSpam — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WebDefender Security – Protection & AntiSpam: 1K+ active installs, 4.0★ (18 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/cwis-antivirus-malware-detected
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