Blackhole Pro v3.6.1 - WordPress Security Plugin
Developer: Jeff StarrCategory: WordPress PluginsTrusted with 16 downloadsPro1 favoriteLatest v3.6.1Updated 3w ago
FEATURES Developed by 10-year WP astronaut Jeff Starr, Blackhole Pro is a WordPress security plugin that automatically detects and traps bad bots in a virtual blackhole, where they are blocked from...
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FEATURES
Developed by 10-year WP astronaut Jeff Starr, Blackhole Pro is a WordPress security plugin that automatically detects and traps bad bots in a virtual blackhole, where they are blocked from your site.Bad bots are the worst. They do all sorts of nasty stuff and waste server resources. Blackhole Pro helps to stop bad bots and save server resources for legit visitors. In the words of Admiral Ackbar:
“It’s a Trap!”
BYE BYE BAD BOTS..
Blackhole Pro adds a hidden link to your pages. You add a rule to your robots.txt that instructs bots to stay away. Good bots will obey the rule, but bad bots will ignore it and follow the link.. right into the blackhole trap. Once trapped, bad bots are blocked and denied further access to your entire site. Benefits include:
- Stops leeches, scanners, and spammers
- Saves server resources for humans and good bots
- Improves traffic quality and overall site security
FULL CONTROL
- Customize just about everything:
- Threshold level
- Email alerts
- Warning message
- Blocked message
- Blackhole trigger link
- Custom redirects
- HTTP Status codes
COMPLETE INLINE DOCS
Get complete information with a click:
- Documentation on every screen
- Easy to access from the Help tab
- Get complete infos, tips, and more
- Keeps plugin pages nice and tidy
BAD BOT LOG
Full-featured UI for managing blocked bots:
- Complete bot data: IP, request, user agent, etc.
- Filterable search, custom sorting, paged results
- Automatic Geo/IP location lookups for each bot
- Displays total number of blocked hits
- Delete selected bots with a click
- Add bots manually via IP address
Show full descriptionShow less
EMAIL ALERTS
Stay aware with Blackhole email alerts:
- Choose from several types of alerts
- Alerts include IP and complete Whois Lookup
- Receive an email alert for each blocked bot
- Customize the email template with shortcodes
- Set adresses for both “To” and “From” headers
CUSTOMIZE THE BLACKHOLE
Customize how your site responds to bad bots:
- Choose the Warning Message or create your own
- Choose the Blocked Message or create your own
- Choose a custom URL to redirect blocked bots
- Exclude the trigger link on any post or page
- Customize the Blackhole trigger link
WHITELIST GOOD BOTS
Advanced control over whitelisted (allowed) bots:
- Popular search engines always allowed access
- Choose a custom URL for whitelisted bots
- Whitelist good bots by User Agent
- Whitelist good bots by IP Address
- Whitelist entire ranges of IPs
- New! Blacklist bots based on user agent
MORE FEATURES
Blackhole Pro is meticulously crafted:
- Built with the WP API
- Works with other security plugins
- Protects automatically, silently
- Automatic honeypot spider trap
- Developed for optimal performance
- One-click restore default plugin options
- Records number of times each bot is blocked
- Set how many warnings before bots are blocked
- Auto-import data from free version of Blackhole
Recent releases
Release history
Aug 25, 20261.4 MB
Requires PHP: 5.6.20
Text Domain: blackhole-pro
Domain Path: /languages
License: The Blackhole Pro license comprises two parts (see "License" section below)
Blackhole Pro is a WordPress security plugin that detects and traps bad bots in a virtual black hole, where they are denied access to your site.
== Description ==
> ✨ Trap bad bots in a virtual black hole
__Important:__ Do NOT use this plugin on sites with caching. [Learn more »](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/important-do-not-use-on-sites-with-caching/)
### Bye bye bad bots.. ###
Bad bots are the worst. They do all sorts of nasty stuff and waste server resources. Blackhole Pro helps to stop bad bots and save precious resources for legit visitors.
### How does it work? ###
First the plugin adds a hidden trigger link to the footer of your pages. You then add a line to your robots.txt file that forbids all bots from following the hidden link. Bots that then ignore or disobey your robots rules will crawl the link and fall into the trap. Once trapped, bad bots are denied further access to your entire site.
I call it the "one-strike" rule: bots have one chance to obey your site's robots.txt rules. Failure to comply results in immediate banishment. And if that seems too harsh, you can adjust the number of allowed "strikes" via the plugin's Threshold setting.
The best part is that the Blackhole only affects bad bots: human users never see the hidden link, and good bots obey the robots rules in the first place. Win-win! :)
### Features ###
Visit the [Blackhole Pro homepage](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro/) for features, screenshots, and details.
### Getting Started ###
For help getting started, visit the [Quick Start Guide](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro-quick-start/).
### Documentation ###
Explore the Blackhole Pro documentation:
* [Blackhole Pro Docs](https://plugin-planet.com/category/docs+blackhole-pro/)
* [Blackhole Pro Tutorials](https://plugin-planet.com/category/tuts+blackhole-pro/)
* [Blackhole Pro FAQs](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro-faqs/)
For complete documentation, visit the Help tab on any Blackhole screen in the WP Admin Area.
### Stay Current ###
Stay current with Blackhole Pro:
* [Blackhole Pro News](https://plugin-planet.com/category/news+blackhole-pro/)
* [Grab the News Feed](https://plugin-planet.com/category/news+blackhole-pro/feed/)
* [Grab the Tutorials Feed](https://plugin-planet.com/category/tuts+blackhole-pro/feed/)
### Downloads ###
Learn how to [download your pro plugin](https://plugin-planet.com/download-purchased-plugin/).
### Account & License ###
Check out [plugin license documentation](https://plugin-planet.com/documentation-plugin-licenses/).
### Privacy ###
Check out [privacy and GDPR documentation](https://plugin-planet.com/gdpr-support/#plugin-blackhole-pro) for each of our pro plugins.
### Getting Help ###
There are two channels for getting help:
* [Ask a question in the Blackhole Pro Forum](https://plugin-planet.com/category/forum+blackhole-pro/) ([login required](https://plugin-planet.com/wp/wp-login.php))
* [Send an email via the contact form](https://plugin-planet.com/support/#contact)
The contact form is best for direct support, bug reports, and feedback.
### Developer ###
Blackhole Pro is developed and maintained by [Jeff Starr](https://x.com/perishable), 15-year [WordPress developer](https://plugin-planet.com/) and [book author](https://books.perishablepress.com/).
== Installation ==
### Installing Blackhole Pro ###
1. Deactivate free version of the plugin
2. Make sure your site is not running any cache plugin
3. Upload the plugin and activate via the WP Plugins screen
4. Visit Blackhole Pro > License to enter your license key
Once Blackhole Pro is installed and active:
* If your site is using the default robots.txt file that is automatically generated by WordPress, then you are done. No further steps are required.
* __OR__ if your site is using a custom robots.txt file, visit the plugin settings > "Robots Rules", copy the provided rules, and paste them into your robots.txt file.
Congrats! The plugin now is active, the [robots.txt rules](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro-robots-txt/) are in place, and Blackhole Pro is protecting your site against bad bots. For more information on getting started, check out the [Quick Start Guide](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro-quick-start/). For complete documentation, visit the Help tab on any Blackhole screen in the WP Admin Area.
[More info on installing WP plugins](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/manage-plugins/#installing-plugins-1)
### How to use Blackhole Pro ###
To use Blackhole Pro:
1. Install and activate the plugin as described above
2. Add the robots.txt rules to your site's robots.txt
3. To configure the plugin, visit the plugin Settings
4. To view and manage blocked bots, visit Bad Bots
Links to reset the plugin options and Bad Bots Log are available in the plugin settings.
Also check out the [Quick Start Guide](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro
v3.6Verified Safe
Apr 27, 20261.4 MB
View changelog
Requires PHP: 5.6.20
Text Domain: blackhole-pro
Domain Path: /languages
License: The Blackhole Pro license comprises two parts (see "License" section below)
Blackhole Pro is a WordPress security plugin that detects and traps bad bots in a virtual black hole, where they are denied access to your site.
== Description ==
> ✨ Trap bad bots in a virtual black hole
__Important:__ Do NOT use this plugin on sites with caching. [Learn more »](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/important-do-not-use-on-sites-with-caching/)
### Bye bye bad bots.. ###
Bad bots are the worst. They do all sorts of nasty stuff and waste server resources. Blackhole Pro helps to stop bad bots and save precious resources for legit visitors.
### How does it work? ###
First the plugin adds a hidden trigger link to the footer of your pages. You then add a line to your robots.txt file that forbids all bots from following the hidden link. Bots that then ignore or disobey your robots rules will crawl the link and fall into the trap. Once trapped, bad bots are denied further access to your entire site.
I call it the "one-strike" rule: bots have one chance to obey your site's robots.txt rules. Failure to comply results in immediate banishment. And if that seems too harsh, you can adjust the number of allowed "strikes" via the plugin's Threshold setting.
The best part is that the Blackhole only affects bad bots: human users never see the hidden link, and good bots obey the robots rules in the first place. Win-win! :)
### Features ###
Visit the [Blackhole Pro homepage](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro/) for features, screenshots, and details.
### Getting Started ###
For help getting started, visit the [Quick Start Guide](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro-quick-start/).
### Documentation ###
Explore the Blackhole Pro documentation:
* [Blackhole Pro Docs](https://plugin-planet.com/category/docs+blackhole-pro/)
* [Blackhole Pro Tutorials](https://plugin-planet.com/category/tuts+blackhole-pro/)
* [Blackhole Pro FAQs](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro-faqs/)
For complete documentation, visit the Help tab on any Blackhole screen in the WP Admin Area.
### Stay Current ###
Stay current with Blackhole Pro:
* [Blackhole Pro News](https://plugin-planet.com/category/news+blackhole-pro/)
* [Grab the News Feed](https://plugin-planet.com/category/news+blackhole-pro/feed/)
* [Grab the Tutorials Feed](https://plugin-planet.com/category/tuts+blackhole-pro/feed/)
### Downloads ###
Learn how to [download your pro plugin](https://plugin-planet.com/download-purchased-plugin/).
### Plugin License ###
Check out [plugin license documentation](https://plugin-planet.com/documentation-plugin-licenses/).
### Privacy ###
Check out [privacy and GDPR documentation](https://plugin-planet.com/gdpr-support/#plugin-blackhole-pro) for each of our pro plugins.
### Getting Help ###
There are two channels for getting help:
* [Ask a question in the Blackhole Pro Forum](https://plugin-planet.com/category/forum+blackhole-pro/) ([login required](https://plugin-planet.com/wp/wp-login.php))
* [Send an email via the contact form](https://plugin-planet.com/support/#contact)
The contact form is best for direct support, bug reports, and feedback.
### Developer ###
Blackhole Pro is developed and maintained by [Jeff Starr](https://x.com/perishable), 15-year [WordPress developer](https://plugin-planet.com/) and [book author](https://books.perishablepress.com/).
== Installation ==
### Installing Blackhole Pro ###
1. Deactivate free version of the plugin
2. Make sure your site is not running any cache plugin
3. Upload the plugin and activate via the WP Plugins screen
4. Visit Blackhole Pro > License to enter your license key
Once Blackhole Pro is installed and active:
* If your site is using the default robots.txt file that is automatically generated by WordPress, then you are done. No further steps are required.
* __OR__ if your site is using a custom robots.txt file, visit the plugin settings > "Robots Rules", copy the provided rules, and paste them into your robots.txt file.
Congrats! The plugin now is active, the [robots.txt rules](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro-robots-txt/) are in place, and Blackhole Pro is protecting your site against bad bots. For more information on getting started, check out the [Quick Start Guide](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro-quick-start/). For complete documentation, visit the Help tab on any Blackhole screen in the WP Admin Area.
[More info on installing WP plugins](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/manage-plugins/#installing-plugins-1)
### How to use Blackhole Pro ###
To use Blackhole Pro:
1. Install and activate the plugin as described above
2. Add the robots.txt rules to your site's robots.txt
3. To configure the plugin, visit the plugin Settings
4. To view and manage blocked bots, visit Bad Bots
Links to reset the plugin options and Bad Bots Log are available in the plugin settings.
Also check out the [Quick Start Guide](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro-qu
v3.5.3
Dec 4, 20251.4 MB
View changelog
Other
- Requires PHP: 5.6.20
- Text Domain: blackhole-pro
- Domain Path: /languages
- License: The Blackhole Pro license comprises two parts (see "License" section below)
- Blackhole Pro is a WordPress security plugin that detects and traps bad bots in a virtual black hole, where they are denied access to your site.
- == Description ==
- > ✨ Trap bad bots in a virtual black hole
- __Important:__ Do NOT use this plugin on sites with caching. [Learn more »](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/important-do-not-use-on-sites-with-caching/)
- ### Bye bye bad bots.. ###
- Bad bots are the worst. They do all sorts of nasty stuff and waste server resources. Blackhole Pro helps to stop bad bots and save precious resources for legit visitors.
- ### How does it work? ###
- First the plugin adds a hidden trigger link to the footer of your pages. You then add a line to your robots.txt file that forbids all bots from following the hidden link. Bots that then ignore or disobey your robots rules will crawl the link and fall into the trap. Once trapped, bad bots are denied further access to your entire site.
- I call it the "one-strike" rule: bots have one chance to obey your site's robots.txt rules. Failure to comply results in immediate banishment. And if that seems too harsh, you can adjust the number of allowed "strikes" via the plugin's Threshold setting.
- The best part is that the Blackhole only affects bad bots: human users never see the hidden link, and good bots obey the robots rules in the first place. Win-win! :)
- ### Features ###
- The free version of Blackhole includes awesome features:
- Easy to set up
- Squeaky clean code
- Focused and modular
- Lightweight, fast and flexible
- Built with the WordPress API
- Works with other security plugins
- Easy to reset the list of bad bots
- Easy to delete any bot from the list
- Plugin options configurable via settings screen
- Hidden Blackhole link includes "nofollow" attribute
- Works silently behind the scenes to protect your site
- Optionally receive email alerts with WHOIS lookup for blocked bots
- All major search engines are whitelisted so they never are blocked
- Focused on flexibility, performance, and security
- Block any specific user agent from site access
- Whitelist any IP address or range
- Whitelist bots via their user agent
- Customize the message displayed to blocked bots ;)
- One-click restore plugin default options
- Does NOT use or require any .htaccess rules
- ### Pro Features ###
- Blackhole Pro includes all features of the free version, plus:
- Customize Blackhole Warning message
- Choose a custom blocked message for bad bots
- Disable Blackhole for logged in users
- Logs number of blocked hits for each bot
- Set the number of hits before a bot is banned
- Exclude Blackhole trigger link on specific posts/pages
- Optionally use a transparent 1x1 pixel image for the trigger link
- Customize the trigger link with any text-markup
- Customize the trigger link URL
- Optionally redirect all blocked bots
- Optionally redirect all whitelisted bots
- Choose a custom HTTP Status Code for blocked bots
- Includes new email alert templates
- Customize your own email alerts with shortcodes
- Customize the From header for email alerts
- Complete documentation available via the Help tab
- Full-featured Bad Bots Log, where you can view and manage bad bots
- Bad Bots Log includes refined search, custom sorting, and more
- Bad Bots Log includes Geo/IP location lookups for bad bots
- One-click restore of the Bad Bots Log
- ### Whitelist ###
- By default, this plugin does NOT block any of the major search engines (user agents):
- AOL.com
- Baidu
- Bingbot/MSN
- DuckDuckGo
- Googlebot
- Teoma
- Yahoo!
- Yandex
- These search engines (and all of their myriad variations) are whitelisted via user agent. So are a bunch of other "useful" bots. They always are allowed full access to your site, even if they disobey your robots.txt rules. This list can be customized in the plugin settings. For a complete list of whitelisted bots, visit the Help tab in the plugin settings (under "Whitelist Settings").
- ### Privacy ###
- __User Data:__ Blackhole Pro automatically blocks bad bots. When bad bots fall into the trap, their IP address, user agent, and other request data are stored in the WP database. No other user data is collected by this plugin. At any time, the administrator may delete all saved data via the plugin settings.
- __Services:__ Blackhole Pro makes outgoing HTTP requests to 3rd-party services to get information about visitors (e.g., Whois, GeoIP, host name). Blackhole Pro also connects to the home site, Plugin-Planet.com, in order to activate and/or deactivate the plugin license. No other third-party services are used by this plugin.
- __Cookies:__ This plugin does not set any cookies.
- ### Developer ###
- Blackhole Pro is developed and maintained by [Jeff Starr](https://x.com/perishable), 15-year [WordPress developer](https://plugin-planet.com/) and [book author](https://books.perishablepress.com
Added
- bots manually, directly via the Bad Bots screen
Removed
- any bot or multiple bots with a click
Frequently asked questions
Is Blackhole Pro GPL licensed?
Yes, Blackhole Pro is distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). You can legally use, modify, and redistribute it on unlimited websites.
What is the latest version of Blackhole Pro?
The latest version of Blackhole Pro on GPLCoffee is v3.6.1 (released Aug 25, 2026, 1.4 MB download size). Every new release is synced automatically, and subscribers can update directly from their WordPress dashboard with the one-click connector plugin.
How much does Blackhole Pro cost on GPLCoffee?
Blackhole Pro is available for $5.99 for a 1-year license or $15.99 for a lifetime license. Membership plans also include credit-based access so you can download Blackhole Pro along with thousands of other plugins, themes, and PHP scripts for a single subscription.
Which WordPress and PHP versions does Blackhole Pro support?
The current release of Blackhole Pro requires WordPress 4.7 or higher, tested up to WordPress 7.1, PHP 5.6.20 or higher. Per-release compatibility details are listed in the version history.
Is Blackhole Pro safe to download?
Yes. The latest release of Blackhole Pro (v3.6.1) was scanned with VirusTotal and came back clean. Scan results are visible on each version page, and releases flagged as malicious are blocked from the catalog.
Auto-updates included
Install it once, update automatically.
The GPLC Connector installs this plugin from your wp-admin and rolls out new versions to your connected sites - up to 25. Included with 12-month and Geek Lifetime plans (plus legacy 6-month).