SiteLock Security – WP Hardening, Login Security & Malware Scans
by SiteLock · Login & Users
Free, lightweight WordPress security. Harden your site with login protection & 2FA, see Site Health clearly and run on-demand checks—setup in minutes.
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
B 81/100
no flags
Active installs
1K+
≈1.5K estimated
Momentum
+10%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “login security” and “site health” for “hardening” and “harden”. “login security” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “hardening” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “site health” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “harden” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
81 health vs 61 average across 2,203 Login & Users plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.8%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 55K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Login & Users plugin keeps 0.7%, across 1,476 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Login & Users 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 7 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 130 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
3.4★ over 14 reviews, smoothed to 3.95★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
34
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.4
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
9%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.4
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| hardening | #4 | #9 | 0 |
| harden | #5 | #12 | down 1 |
| malware scan your tag | #15 | #18 | down 2 |
| site hardening | #7 | #14 | down 1 |
| two factor auth | #18 | #19 | down 2 |
| login designer | #19 | #23 | down 2 |
| website hardening | #12 | #20 | 0 |
| wordpress hardening | #15 | #23 | 0 |
| scan | #20 | #24 | up 2 |
| vulnerability scan | #23 | #23 | down 1 |
| login security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| site health your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| vulnerability scanner your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wordpress security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
37 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 10 listed. 27 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 “login security” and “site health” for “hardening” and “harden”. “login security” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “hardening” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “site health” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “harden” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “malware scan”. #15 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 30 Oct 2022 · 1,463 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3K · 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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
7
releases in the last 12 months
4mo ago
latest release · v5.1.2 · 23 Jun 2026
30
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 71% 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 3.2 years 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 11 Nov 2015
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Seb10mo ago
The SiteLock Security WordPress plugin is a lightweight WordPress security tool aimed at giving site owners essential protections with minimal performance impact. It focuses on baseline hardening (e.g., blocking unsafe scripts and tightening directory permissions) and login security (e.g., brute-force protection, session timeouts, and strong password enforcement) right from your WordPress dashboard. Cloud-powered scans and on-demand checks help you monitor your site’s status without consuming server resources.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wujanowski2.9y ago
Since the start of the service SiteLock is not able to connect to my (verified) domain and verify the SSL certificate. Support reactions are far from satisfying.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ oliverrealize7.8y ago
They will show false positives for Google Analytics tag, then charge you to remove it, then send you an email saying they were wrong and it was a false positive and that they didn’t actually remove any malware, but won’t refund your money.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kcampana9.5y ago
With my extensive travels, festival reviews and listing of nearly 1,000 Ohio festivals, it’s impossible for me to constantly check the safety of the thousands of outgoing links found on my website. That’s why I’m thankful when SiteLock warns me about a malicious site so that I can quickly remove the bad link before my readers click on it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ahorowitz9.5y ago
SiteLock employees definitely understand customer service. When I signed up for Sitelock’s website security service, I was also in the middle of changing web hosting companies, transferring my domain name and getting my website redesigned in the wake of my previous website having been hacked and rendered useless. Steve (my SiteLock security consultant) went the extra mile and helped with some things that weren’t even his responsibility.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jkinskey9.6y ago
Our website had been compromised previously, each time causing reduced search engine traffic and a lot of time and money to fix the issues. And, we still could not figure out how it was happening. The SiteLock engineers found the holes and thoroughly cleaned our site. Now with SiteLock’s daily scanning…, our site is secure!!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jnourish9.6y ago
I own a wedding business in Las Vegas. I chose to use SiteLock for my site after experiencing a virus on my website a year ago. The previous virus was a nasty self-replicating one that brought my business to a complete stand still. I did not want to take the chance that the site would be hit again by unscrupulous hackers. I chose to incorporate Sitelock into my current website and have been grateful that I did.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ryoung1139.6y ago
SiteLock provides professional monitoring coverage from hackers, SSL connectivity, malware free verification & PCI compliance…we are glad to have them monitor our corporate website for now 3 years.
Read on wp.org ↗
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (5.1.2). 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 6 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
8 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 "Free, lightweight WordPress security. Harden your site with login protection & 2FA, see Site Health clearly..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 13 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 13 of 13 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("built for", "for small businesses", "if you manage").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce.
- ✓ Headings and lists 12 headings and 8 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 6,344 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "malware scan", "vulnerability scanner" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2023-09-06 2K+ → 1K+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2023-09-01 1K+ → 2K+ up after 6 days in tier
- 2023-08-26 2K+ → 1K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2023-08-23 1K+ → 2K+ up after 3 days in tier
- 2023-08-20 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2023-08-19 1K+ → 2K+ up after 20 days in tier
- 2023-07-30 2K+ → 1K+ down after 274 days in tier
- 2022-10-29 3K+ → 2K+ down after 1171 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).
-
DevDome Malware Scanner – WordPress Malware Removal & Security Scanner 300+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
Lockora Security Audit 200+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
Virus Finder 100+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
WPTrigone Security – Secure your website and store 10+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
BridgeHub Security Insight — installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
Facial Recognition Authentication — installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for SiteLock Security – WP Hardening, Login Security & Malware Scans into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/sitelock" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="SiteLock Security – WP Hardening, Login Security & Malware Scans — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> SiteLock Security – WP Hardening, Login Security & Malware Scans: 1K+ active installs, 3.4★ (14 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/sitelock
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