Exploit Scanner
by Donncha O Caoimh (a11n) · Security
Also makes 12 other plugins · 21.6K+ installs across the portfolio →
Search the files and database of your WordPress install for signs that may indicate that it has fallen victim to malicious hackers.
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
D 48/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
8K+
≈8.6K estimated
Momentum
+36%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “hack”, “hacking” and “scanner” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
48 health vs 66 average across 1,776 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.7%
of downloads still active
At least 8K of 1.1M lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,059 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.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 8+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.7.39, well behind 6.8.
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.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 3259 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.7.39; the current branch is 6.8
3.2★ over 40 reviews, smoothed to 3.70★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3259 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| hack your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| hacking your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| scanner your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| spam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “hack”, “hacking” and “scanner” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1K · 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
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
9.4y ago
latest release · v1.5.2 · 5 Jun 2017
51
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 87% 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 “8K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 60% of the way through.
Install history since 1 Jul 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Antonio Augusto5.6y ago
Apparently abandoned or confuse. This topic was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Antonio Augusto.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ C777.3y ago
Doesn´t work at all… it always shows an error, try later.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ scorpiotiger8.3y ago
Just gives an error: {“status”:”error”,”message”:”$this->files was not an array”,”data”:{“start”:250,”files”:”b:0;”}} Others have posted in the support section and not had responses and the plugin has not been updated for a long time, so it looks to be an abandoned project.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ carolzeroum8.6y ago
Exploit Scanner is a useless plugin. I mean, it does nothing. It just lists hundreds of files of your server. Says nothing about them. And does nothing either. In the end, it says you are a PARANOID. If you have any further worries. I think I will create a WordPress plugin too.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Eduard Doloc9.0y ago
Great plugin, but it’s not well documented. Anyways, it works on version 4.8.3 and theoretically any version as long as you generate (if you don’t have) the hashes for your wordpress version; in my case I had to generate for 4.8.3 and it did a good job 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ enacta29.4y ago
Works really well. I have it installed next to TAC and VIP Scanner on my localhost test site. The trick is you need to use current hashes, and none are available for WordPress 4.8 and higher on the Internets. So, here are hashes for WordPress 4.8. And easy to follow directions to create new hashes for newer versions of WordPress: https://wordpress.org/support/topic/here-you-go-hashes-4-8-php/ This topic was modified 9 years ago by enacta2. Reason: Phrasing
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ovidiu Zeicu9.4y ago
A LOT of WP core files on fresh install are included on the Level Severe results section, most of them having “Unknown file found” in the description. If the plugin doesn’t even know which files are core files, how should I trust it with other files? Working with MD5 hashes is not for everyone, so it’s definitely not for beginners.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ mark2007899.6y ago
I’m pretty tech savvy, but creating a hash file for my site is beyond my abilities. That’s what this scanner needs or it will mark every single files and unknown and corrupted. And it won’t tell you until after you’ve finished scanning. It’s nowhere in the online instructions. Waste of time unless you are a command line guru.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.5.2 Added hashes for WordPress 4.7.5 1.5.2
- — Version 1.5.1 WordPress 4.6 hashes WordPress 4.6.1 hashes WordPress 4.7 hashes 1.5.1
- — Version 1.5 WordPress 4.5.3 hashes Move to follow WP versioning system 1.5
- — Version 1.4.12 WordPress 4.5.2 hashes 1.4.12
- — Version 1.4.11 WordPress 4.5 hashes WordPress 4.5.1 hashes 1.4.11
- — Version 1.4.10 WordPress 4.4.1 hashes 1.4.10
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (1.5.2). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2013-05-29 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 1.3.3 Patched in 1.3.4
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
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.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 29 Oct 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 Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("Installation Instructions").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ✓ Headings and lists 4 headings and 5 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 3,080 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("hacking", "security", "spam" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-07 9K+ → 8K+ down after 153 days in tier
- 2026-01-05 10K+ → 9K+ down after 1138 days in tier
- 2022-11-24 20K+ → 10K+ down after 755 days in tier
- 2020-10-30 30K+ → 20K+ down after 387 days in tier
- 2019-10-09 40K+ → 30K+ down after 403 days in tier
- 2018-09-01 50K+ → 40K+ down after 614 days in tier
- 2016-12-26 60K+ → 50K+ down
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).
-
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
SecuPress with Simple SSL – Simple and Performant Security 40K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A -
NinjaScanner – Virus & Malware scan 40K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags A -
Stop Spammers Classic 20K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Exploit Scanner into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/exploit-scanner" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Exploit Scanner — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Exploit Scanner: 8K+ active installs, 3.2★ (40 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/exploit-scanner
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