/ Plugin Category

/ Security & Privacy

/ Security Scanning & Malware Protection

/ Blackhole for Bad Bots

Blackhole for Bad Bots

By Jeff Starr

Security & Privacy / Security Scanning & Malware Protection

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Blackhole for Bad Bots Review - In-Depth Analysis

Blackhole is a WordPress security plugin that traps bad bots in a virtual black hole, denying them access to your site.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.84/10

User Rating

4.7/5 (based on 148+ reviews)

Active Installations

30,000+

Update Frequency

Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

7.2 / 10 (High Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Blackhole for Bad Bots is a security plugin designed to detect and trap bad bots that can harm your website. It works by adding a hidden trigger link to your pages, which bots that ignore your robots.txt rules will follow, leading them into a trap.

This plugin is easy to set up and does not interfere with legitimate users or major search engines. It is lightweight and built with the WordPress API, ensuring it runs efficiently without using .htaccess rules.

Key features include customizable settings, email alerts for blocked bots, and the ability to whitelist certain IP addresses. The plugin is regularly updated to remain effective against new threats.

Comparing to Alternatives

Blackhole for Bad Bots is a popular plugin in the WordPress security space, offering bot blocking features. It competes with several other plugins that provide similar functionalities to protect websites from malicious bots and spam.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Highly effective at blocking bad bots as reported by users.
Integrates well with other security plugins like BBQ Firewall.
Regular updates addressing security vulnerabilities.
Free version offers substantial bot blocking features.
Positive user feedback highlights ease of use and reliability.

Weaknesses

Known past security vulnerabilities with high CVSS scores.
Some users report issues with caching and Google crawler blocking.
Reports of residual trash pages in Google Search Console after deletion.
Compatibility issues with certain hosting optimizers like Siteground's.

User Sentiment Analysis

With a high overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 from 148 reviews, most users appreciate the plugin's effectiveness and reliability. However, a small minority report significant issues related to Google crawler blocking and residual site problems after uninstalling.

Positive highlights

"Very Well done!" - cole1969
"Together with BBQ Firewall the best plugin for WordPress security!" - nmrockswp
"Hi. It seems to be doing its job. I am happy with it." - Krzysztof
"Plug in has many problems with Cloudflare" (noted but still 5 stars) - athinaok

Common complaints

Continues generating trash pages on Google Search Console even after deletion.
Blocking Google crawlers causing site ranking to plummet, especially with caching conflicts.

Weaknesses

Past security vulnerabilities with high severity scores.
Issues with caching compatibility leading to Google crawler blocking.
Residual effects after plugin removal causing SEO concerns.
Potential conflicts with hosting optimizers like Siteground's.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Website owners seeking a robust and regularly updated bot blocking plugin who also use complementary security tools like BBQ Firewall.

Not ideal for

Users who rely heavily on caching plugins or hosting optimizers that may conflict, or those concerned about past security vulnerabilities and SEO impacts from crawler blocking.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version provides effective bot blocking features sufficient for many users.

Pro version

Offers enhanced bot blocking capabilities and additional premium features for advanced security needs.

Final Verdict

Blackhole for Bad Bots is a highly rated and effective plugin for blocking malicious bots, with strong user endorsements and regular security updates. It offers good value with a free version and a pro upgrade for advanced features.

However, users should be cautious of past security vulnerabilities and potential conflicts with caching or hosting optimizers that may affect Google crawler access and SEO. Those factors should be weighed against its strengths when considering this plugin.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Blackhole for Bad Bots plugin.

bad bots

security plugin

anti-spam

Screenshots

FAQ

Yes, three of them:

BBQ Firewall for super-fast firewall security
Blackhole for Bad Bots to protect your site against bad bots
Banhammer to monitor and ban any user or IP address

Pro versions with more features available at Plugin Planet.

Yes, you can add the following code anywhere in your theme template:

<?php if (function_exists('blackhole_trigger')) blackhole_trigger(); ?>

By default, the plugin uses PHP’s gethostbyaddr() function to lookup the host name for blocked requests. This is fine on most servers but some may experience slight reduced performance. So for those who may need it, the following code snippet can be added to disable the host lookup:

function blackhole_enable_host_check() { return false; } add_filter('blackhole_enable_host_check', 'blackhole_enable_host_check');

That code can be added via your theme (or child theme) functions.php, or add via custom plugin.

By default the plugin adds an entry in the site error log for any invalid IP address. To disable this feature, add the following code snippet to your (child) theme’s functions file, or add via custom plugin:

function blackhole_validate_ip_log_custom($log, $ip) { return ''; } add_filter('blackhole_validate_ip_log', 'blackhole_validate_ip_log_custom', 10, 2);

By default, Blackhole never blocks anything on the WP Login Page. This is to prevent new users from accidentally getting locked out of their site.

To change the default behavior, and add Blackhole protection to the Login Page, add the following code to theme or child theme’s functions.php, or add via custom plugin:

function blackhole_ignore_login($ignore) { return false; } add_filter('blackhole_ignore_login', 'blackhole_ignore_login');

If you get locked out inadvertently, simply remove the code and the Login Page will be accessible once again.

Contributors and developers

“Blackhole for Bad Bots” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Jeff Starr

Pro version Free Version

WPS

6.84

Average

Pro version

Ratings

4.7 out of 5 | 148

Version

3.8.4

Last updated

1 month ago

Active installations

30,000+

WordPress version

7.1.3 or higher

PHP version

5.6.20 or higher

Languages

Other plugins you might like

NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall

By nintechnet

WPS

6.53

Average

4.9/5

220+reviews

100k+

active installation

Tested with

7.1.3

Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users, and Prevents Security Breaches

By Paul

WPS

6.78

Average

4.8/5

1k+reviews

30k+

active installation

Tested with

7.1.3

Booter – Bots & Crawlers Manager

By uPress

WPS

6.88

Average

4.7/5

12+reviews

7k+

active installation

Tested with

7.0.7

CrowdSec

By CrowdSec - lightweight and collaborative security engine

WPS

6.85

Average

5/5

5+reviews

2k+

active installation

Tested with

6.9.10

Banhammer – Monitor Site Traffic, Block Bad Users and Bots

By Jeff Starr

WPS

6.66

Average

4.4/5

19+reviews

1k+

active installation

Tested with

7.1.3

Block Comment Spam Bots

By Rick Hellewell

WPS

6.79

Average

5/5

4+reviews

800+

active installation

Tested with

6.5.13

Blackhole for Bad Bots Review - In-Depth Analysis

Performance Overview

What It Does

Comparing to Alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

Who Should Use This?

Pricing & Value

Final Verdict

Other Notable Features

Screenshots

FAQ

Contributors and developers

Ratings

Reviews (148)

Sort by:

Contributors & Developers

Interested in development?

Security Status

Secure

No Unpatched Vulnerabilities

Known Vulnerabilities (2)

Previous Versions

WPS

6.84

Other plugins you might like

NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall

Shield: Blocks Bots, Protects Users, and Prevents Security Breaches

Booter – Bots & Crawlers Manager

CrowdSec

Banhammer – Monitor Site Traffic, Block Bad Users and Bots

Block Comment Spam Bots