Replace now Radar no. 19 · Quiet

WP Hardening

What it does: Applies common WordPress security settings in one click.

Why it’s listed: Its own WordPress.org page says it is discontinued and advises deleting it as soon as possible. It still reports 10,000 active installs.

View on WordPress.org ↗ Its admin notices on dismissed.fyi ↗ Checked 2026-10-31 Reviewed by Abhishek Deshpande

Active installs: 10k+
Last updated: 2024-09-13
Tested up to: 6.0.18
Rating: 4.0 / 5 (20)
Version: 1.2.8
Maintainers: 1

Is WP Hardening still maintained?

It has gone over two years without an update, and it has a second warning sign: discontinued by its author.

Quiet: No update for over a year.

Placements are our opinion, based on public evidence. Risk here means a plugin may not get a fix if a problem appears. It doesn’t mean we found a flaw, unless we show an advisory. Going quiet alone never puts a plugin in Replace now.

Updates No release since 2024-09-13. That was 2 yr 2 mo before our check. WordPress.org plugin directory · checked 2026-10-31

Compatibility Tested up to WordPress 6.0.18. WordPress 7.1.4 was current on 2026-10-31. WordPress.org plugin directory · checked 2026-10-31

Security 3 public advisories on record. Details are below. wpvulnerability.net · checked 2026-10-31

Reviews The latest 10 reviews average 3.1 stars, against 4.0 overall. 4 of them gave 1 or 2 stars. Newest activity: 2026-02-15. These reviews are clearly lower than the overall score. WordPress.org reviews · checked 2026-10-31

Maintainers 1 listed contributor. No recent support threads. WordPress.org plugin directory · checked 2026-10-31

Usage 1,036 downloads in the last 30 days, including updates. 99.5% of sites run version 1.2. WordPress.org stats · checked 2026-10-31

What to do next

Back up the site, and use a staging copy for any change.
Follow the author’s advice: deactivate and delete it.
If you need a security plugin, try one of the alternatives below.

If it works today, no need to panic, but don’t leave this for long.

Recommended alternatives to WP Hardening

Wordfence Security ↗

Firewall and malware scanning.

5M+ installs · 4.7 stars · Updated 2026-09-30 · Tested 7.1.4

All-In-One Security ↗

A broad free security suite.

1M+ installs · 4.7 stars · Updated 2026-10-30 · Tested 7.1.4

Sucuri Security ↗

Auditing, malware checks and hardening options.

600k+ installs · 4.2 stars · Updated 2026-10-14 · Tested 7.1.4

Each listed plugin was updated in the last six months, is tested with WordPress 7.0 or newer, and had no open advisory in WPVulnerability when we checked. We have not tried them ourselves. No one pays to appear here.

Security record

Advisory	Severity	Fixed in
CVE-2024-6641 ↗ Security issue	Medium (5.3)	1.2.7
CVE-2021-24373 ↗ Cross-site scripting	Medium (6.1)	1.2.2
CVE-2021-24372 ↗ Cross-site scripting	Medium (6.1)	1.2.2

wpvulnerability.net · checked 2026-10-31

A listed advisory does not mean the current version is exploitable.

Latest reviews

1/5 Moving on 2026-02-15
1/5 It’s sending e-mails without my permission!!! 2024-07-15
1/5 Dead plugin 2024-02-26
5/5 WP Hardening does not accept WP 6.2 2023-04-03
4/5 I like it However .. 2021-09-10

Dates show last activity. Titles are written by WordPress.org users.

Also on this radar: Login and access

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No one can pay to appear on the radar or to change a placement. How we stay independent

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