Free WordPress malware scanner by Cleverhog: detect suspicious files, backdoors, weak logins, and outdated software from your dashboard.

keith graham

Threat Scan Plugin

This is a very simple threat scan that looks for things out of place in the content directory as well as the database.

Vitalii Kaplia

Apache Password Protect

Simple, but strong HTTP security, to prevent Brute force attack. One-click solution!

contentguardpro

Content Guard Pro – Database Malware Scanner & SEO Spam Detector

Scan your WordPress database for hidden SEO spam, pharma hacks, malicious scripts, iframes and spam links in posts and blocks.

andrewdjohns

SyntaxHighlighter Evolved: H Brush

Adds H language support in SyntaxHighlighter Evolved plugin. As used in mobile app "Hacked" (www.hackedapp.com). Includes Hackpad theme.

cleverhog

Cleverhog Malware Scanner helps you investigate a suspicious or compromised WordPress site from the admin dashboard. It is free and may be used on unlimited websites with no license keys or per-site fees.
This plugin detects and reports potential security issues. It does not automatically remove malware or guarantee that a site is clean. Always back up your site before changing or deleting files.
<h4>What it scans</h4>
<ul>
<li>Files — Pattern-based scan of themes, plugins, uploads, wp-content, or the full site (with code snippets, file size, and last-modified date)</li>
<li>Backdoors — Must-use plugins, drop-ins, wp-config, cron jobs, and suspicious hooks</li>
<li>.htaccess — Discovers <code>.htaccess</code> files site-wide and lists suspicious redirects, PHP handlers in uploads, auto_prepend, cloaking rules, and more</li>
<li>Authentication — XML-RPC, user enumeration, weak salts, file editor, and SSL-related checks</li>
<li>Database — Suspicious autoloaded options and injected post content</li>
<li>Administrators — All admin users with registration dates and risk flags</li>
<li>Updates — Outdated plugins, themes, and core (medium for major/minor updates, low for patch-only updates)</li>
<li>Plugin integrity — WordPress.org plugins compared to official checksums (one summary per plugin)</li>
</ul>
<h4>Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Live threat counter during scans</li>
<li>Results sorted by severity (critical, high, medium, low)</li>
<li>Last scan results restored when you reopen the dashboard</li>
<li>Admin menu badge showing critical issue count</li>
<li>Excludes this plugin’s own files from file scans to reduce false positives</li>
</ul>
<h3>Privacy</h3>
This plugin runs entirely on your server. Scans do not send your site files to the plugin author.
When you run a scan, the plugin may contact:
<ul>
<li>WordPress.org (<code>downloads.wordpress.org</code>) — to fetch official plugin checksums for integrity verification</li>
<li>WordPress.org update APIs — to check for available plugin, theme, and core updates (standard WordPress behavior)</li>
</ul>
No personal data is collected by the plugin author. Scan results are stored in your WordPress database (options and transients) for display in the admin dashboard and are visible to users who can manage the site.
<h3>Support</h3>
Support is provided through the WordPress.org support forums after publication.

Alternatives to Cleverhog Malware Scanner

Top alternatives