Security Hardener
by Marc Armengou · Security
Also makes 4 other plugins · 200+ installs across the portfolio →
Hardens WordPress with secure headers, login protection, user enumeration blocking, rate limiting, and a built-in security checklist.
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
Not scored
no reviews to score from
Active installs
200+
≈260 estimated
Momentum
+4%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “brute force” and “hardening” for “security checklist” and “clickjacking”. “brute force” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “security checklist” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “hardening” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “clickjacking” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Not scored yet. Nobody has reviewed this plugin, so a grade would come from directory averages rather than from anything measured here.
Install conversion
How it's measured →7.1%
of downloads still active
At least 200 of 2.8K lifetime downloads are still running, above 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.
This plugin shipped 17 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: Rating quality
Updated 3 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
No reviews yet, so wp.org scores it as a middling unrated listing
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: No reviews yet. wp.org scores an unrated plugin as middling on rating, so the first good reviews lift it.
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.
39
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 26d
20%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 26d
0.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| security checklist | #10 | #22 | up 3 |
| clickjacking | #12 | #19 | up 1 |
| brute force indicator | #14 | #20 | — |
| brute force your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| hardening your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| headers your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| login protection your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
16 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 3 listed. 13 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
- Swap “brute force” and “hardening” for “security checklist” and “clickjacking”. “brute force” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “security checklist” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “hardening” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “clickjacking” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 3 Nov 2025 · 362 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 623 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #11,300 to #12,900, alongside the other plugins at 200+ 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
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.
17
releases in the last 12 months
3d ago
latest release · v2.4.7 · 28 Oct 2026
17
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 16% 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 “200+”. 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 55% of the way through.
Install history since 4 Nov 2025
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (2.4.7). Sites still on an older version should update.
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.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 3 languages, 3 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 31 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Hardens WordPress with secure headers, login protection, user enumeration blocking, rate limiting, and a bu..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 11 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 11 of 11 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 REST API.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,893 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "Brute Force" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-04-12 100+ → 200+ 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).
-
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
CloudSecure WP Security 100K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A -
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A -
WP fail2ban – Advanced Security 60K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags A -
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Security Hardener into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/security-hardener" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Security Hardener — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Security Hardener: 200+ active installs, no reviews yet. Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/security-hardener
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