Prevent XSS Vulnerability
by Sami Ahmed Siddiqui · Security
Also makes 6 other plugins · 114.4K+ installs across the portfolio →
This WP plugin blocks XSS by encoding harmful URL characters & safely handling HTML in $_GET. Customizable settings for enhanced website security.
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
C 67/100
Stale · Few reviews
Active installs
6K+
≈6.5K estimated
Momentum
+45%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: One page off on “cross site scripting”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
67 health vs 66 average across 1,777 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →7.3%
of downloads still active
At least 6K of 82.3K lifetime downloads are still running, above 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.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 467 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 7 reviews, smoothed to 4.21★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 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.
27
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.6
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.8
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| xss your tag | #3 | #10 | down 1 |
| vulnerability your tag | #9 | #21 | down 4 |
| cross site scripting your tag | #13 | #18 | down 2 |
| prevent | #14 | #19 | down 6 |
| plugin vulnerability | #24 | #22 | down 1 |
| attack your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
20 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 5 listed. 15 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
- One page off on “cross site scripting”. #13 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
- “attack” and “security” 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 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3.6K · 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
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
1.3y ago
latest release · v2.1.0 · 22 Jul 2025
14
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 66% 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 “6K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 7 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 27 Sep 2018
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ roadlink2.8y ago
I got positive on scan websites
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sakthivel5.4y ago
Thanks for the awesome plugin. it helps to fix the XSS attacks. But we need to add more special charter to include manually like exclude list. this helps for every one-> feature Request. keep rocking!!!… Regards, Saravanan
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ randystepanek5.8y ago
We were being harassed by our ISOs because the Acunetix scans kept coming back with HIGHs. Always XSS. We tried everything the report recommended as a remediation…nothing worked. This plugin should come bundled with WP. Or at the very least be added to the list of recommendations Acunetix suggests. Thank you for creating and sharing it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mohamed Abd Elhalim6.9y ago
Very useful plugin, thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous6.9y ago
We were directed by a security researcher to an XSS vulnerability on our site, and this plugin seems to have solved the issue. Only plugin with this functionality I was able to find. Fairly straightforward and flexible.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ BiLaL7.5y ago
Superb Plugin. Saved my site
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Kayless8.6y ago
After running a full site scan using Acunetix and receiving hundreds of XSS alerts, this great little plugin secured the site. Bear in mind we have the free versions of Wordfence and iThemes Security installed, we incorrectly assumed that was enough… I’m not sure why this plugin isn’t used, or reviewed more. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 4 languages, 0 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.
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
6 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "This WP plugin blocks XSS by encoding harmful URL characters & safely handling HTML in $_GET. Customizable..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 2 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 4 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,381 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-10 7K+ → 6K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-09 6K+ → 7K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-08 7K+ → 6K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-07 6K+ → 7K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-06 7K+ → 6K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-04-05 6K+ → 7K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-04-03 7K+ → 6K+ down after 415 days in tier
- 2025-02-12 6K+ → 7K+ up after 74 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).
-
Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins Security 100K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
WPVulnerability 10K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A - L Lockdown WP Admin 10K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags D
-
WPScan – WordPress Security Scanner 8K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags B -
Security Ninja – WordPress Security & Firewall 7K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
IP Geo Block 7K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Prevent XSS Vulnerability into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/prevent-xss-vulnerability" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Prevent XSS Vulnerability — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Prevent XSS Vulnerability: 6K+ active installs, 5.0★ (7 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/prevent-xss-vulnerability
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