Gauntlet Security
by Cornelius Bergen · Security
Performs a detailed security analysis of your WordPress installation. Provides specific instructions on how to make your site more secure.
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 · Few reviews
Active installs
50+
≈58 estimated
Momentum
-6%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “exploit”, “hacks” and “secure” 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 →0.6%
of downloads still active
At least 50 of 8.8K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,060 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 10+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.6.30, 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 3757 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 4.6.30; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 8 reviews, smoothed to 4.22★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 3757 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| exploit your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| hacks your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| secure your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| vulnerability your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 0 listed. 2 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
- “exploit”, “hacks” and “secure” 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 185 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #20,100 to #21,200, alongside the other plugins at 50+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
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
10.3y ago
latest release · v1.4.1 · 19 Jul 2016
11
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% 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 “50+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 60.
Install history since 6 Sep 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Antony Booker9.1y ago
Can’t recommend this plugin enough for ensuring a site is locked down. Particularly useful is the plugin scanner feature which I run on every site. Very clear design and instructions.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ cret3210.5y ago
Extension indispensable même si on utilise une extension de sécurité type WP security. Elle scanne l’installation Wordress, identifie les failles et – cerise sur le gâteau – donne les solutions pour les combler. Merci.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ trigenium10.6y ago
Nice piece of code and very, very usefull. Thanks.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ typeadesign11.7y ago
This is an excellent plugin that spotlights a number of potential vulnerabilities and gives you detailed advice on how to fix and close them. Doesn’t mess with anything in your site. It just scans and reports. Use this before you are hacked. It will help you harden your WordPress install. An essential tool if you maintain WordPress sites.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ chzumbrunnen12.1y ago
This plugin does not change anything on it’s own but gives you detailed and generally understandable advice on how to secure your site and shows where your site is vulnerable. Great tool. Respect!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Brian Kendig12.1y ago
An excellent plugin that looks for several security weaknesses on your WordPress site and explains to you, clearly and simply, how and why to fix them. It checks to make sure that your WordPress files and directories have the correct file permissions on them; that you’ve disabled PHP functions that could be used maliciously; that you’ve locked down your user accounts, your database, and your WordPress control panel fairly well; and that your installed plugins and themes aren’t putting you at risk. These are simple checks that are simple to fix – and if you don’t fix them, hackers could take advantage of them.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ryan Schweitzer12.1y ago
This plugin is very easy to use, and it gives very in-depth [and easy to read] information on every issue that it comes across – I learned some stuff!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Steve Willows12.1y ago
This is a fast and thorough security audit that helps even the most novice WordPress user lock their site down. 5 stars as a plugin and 5 stars as an educational tool.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
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
3 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Performs a detailed security analysis of your WordPress installation. Provides specific instructions on how..."
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! 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 2 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,733 characters of description.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("exploit", "Hacks", "vulnerability" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-16 60+ → 50+ down after 147 days in tier
- 2026-03-22 70+ → 60+ down after 253 days in tier
- 2025-07-12 80+ → 70+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2025-07-07 70+ → 80+ up after 8 days in tier
- 2025-06-29 80+ → 70+ down after 7 days in tier
- 2025-06-22 70+ → 80+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-06-21 80+ → 70+ down after 11 days in tier
- 2025-06-10 70+ → 80+ up after 29 days in tier
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).
- L Lockdown WP Admin 10K+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags D
-
BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins Security 100K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
BulletProof Security 20K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
WPVulnerability 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
WPScan – WordPress Security Scanner 8K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Gauntlet Security into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/gauntlet-security" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Gauntlet Security — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Gauntlet Security: 50+ active installs, 5.0★ (8 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/gauntlet-security
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