Blackhole Pro

Bad bots waste server resources, clutter your traffic and can hurt your site's reputation. Blackhole Pro deals with them using hidden trigger links that act as bot traps. A bot that follows one is sent into a virtual blackhole and blocked from the site, while legitimate users and trusted crawlers are left alone.

You decide how strict the plugin is. You can edit the warning and blocked messages, redirect bad bots to a custom URL, change HTTP status codes, and keep whitelists and blacklists by user agent or IP address. It works with Apache, Nginx and Windows servers, and it is built on WordPress APIs so it fits alongside other security plugins.

Features

• Automatic bad bot trapping: Harmful bots such as spammers, scrapers and scanners are caught in a virtual blackhole and blocked from your site without affecting your regular visitors.
• Custom bot handling: Edit the warning and blocked messages, send bad bots to a URL of your choice, and change the HTTP status codes returned to them.
• Whitelist and blacklist controls: Allow trusted bots like search engines and block unwanted visitors by user agent or IP address, including whole IP ranges.
• Detailed bad bot log: Review each blocked bot with its IP address, request data, user agent and geo-location. Search and sort the log, or add bots to the trap by hand.
• Email alerts for blocked bots: Receive customizable email notifications whenever a bot is blocked, including IP details and a Whois lookup, so you can follow security activity.
• Configurable trigger links: Set up the hidden links that act as bot traps, and exclude the triggers from specific pages or posts when you need finer control.
• Inline documentation: Every settings screen includes clear documentation, so you can adjust options without leaving the WordPress admin area.
• Restore to defaults: Revert the plugin to its default settings in one click if a configuration needs to start over.

Best for

• WordPress sites dealing with spam bots and scanners
• Site owners who want visibility into bot traffic
• Admins running Apache, Nginx or Windows servers