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PluginCanary

Prevent Direct Access

Prevent Direct Access - Protect WordPress Files
by WP Folio Team · 10,000+ active installs · Checked 4 Nov 2026
Healthy

Healthy: maintained, last release 27 Aug 2026, 12 releases in 24 months, no unpatched vulnerabilities.

86/ 100 Canary Score
Sub-scores for Prevent Direct Access
Ownership100
Maintenance100
Security85
Support70
Reputation60

How the score works

Quick answers

Is Prevent Direct Access still maintained?
Yes. Last release 27 Aug 2026, 12 releases in the last 24 months. 27 Aug 2026 · wordpress.org
Who owns Prevent Direct Access, and has it changed hands?
No change recorded. Main committer buildwps since Apr 2023. 4 Nov 2026 · SVN log
Was Prevent Direct Access removed from wordpress.org?
No. Listed on wordpress.org as of 4 Nov 2026. 4 Nov 2026 · wordpress.org
Is Prevent Direct Access safe?
3 known vulnerabilities, all fixed (latest in 2.8.8.9). Not on the exploited list. 12 Aug 2026 · Wordfence Intelligence
Is the latest Prevent Direct Access update safe to install?
No ownership change before 2.8.9.1. No one-star spike after it. 27 Aug 2026 · Release history

Active signals

Facts we detected, with links to the source.

  • InfoMOM-2Downloads in the last 4 weeks are down more than half vs the 26-week average. Review this plugin.3 Nov 2026Evidence

Ownership timeline

Who commits to the plugin's code on wordpress.org, over time.

Committers and their active periods
gaupoit27 Nov 2015 to 22 Dec 2022, 112 commits
buildwps7 Apr 2023 to 27 Aug 2026, 90 commits

2 committers recorded. No ownership change since 2015.

Maintenance

Last release
2 months ago
Releases, 24 months
12
Tested up to
7.1 current
Requires PHP
7.0 supported 8.2+
Releases per quarter
Releases per quarter for Prevent Direct Access
Q1 20240
Q2 20243
Q3 20241
Q4 20240
Q1 20253
Q2 20251
Q3 20250
Q4 20251
Q1 20262
Q2 20262
Q3 20263
Q4 20260

Last release 27 Aug 2026. Tested with WordPress 7.1 (current).

Reputation

Last 90 days: 4.0 (4 reviews). Lifetime: 4.6.

Average rating per quarter for Prevent Direct Access
Q1 20243.0
Q2 20241.0
Q4 20243.8
Q1 20254.0
Q2 20251.0
Q3 20255.0
Q4 20255.0
Q1 20262.5
Q3 20264.2

Average rating rose from 3.0 to 4.2 between Q1 2024 and Q3 2026.

Rating distribution
5 star266
4 star3
3 star3
2 star4
1 star21
Latest low reviews

Security record

3 vulnerabilities in 24 months, all patched (latest fixed in 2.8.8.9).

Show 3 patched vulnerabilities
PublishedIssueCVSSAffectedFixed inDays to patch
12 Aug 2026Prevent Direct Access - Protect WordPress Files <= 2.8.8.8 - Unauthenticated Protected File Access5.3<= 2.8.8.82.8.8.9Patched before disclosure
24 Apr 2025Prevent Direct Access 2.8.6 - 2.8.8.2 - Incorrect Authorization to Authenticated (Contributor+) Multiple Media Actions5.42.8.6 to 2.8.8.22.8.8.3Patched before disclosure
24 Apr 2025Prevent Direct Access - Protect WordPress Files <= 2.8.8 - Unauthenticated Sensitive Information Exposure5.3<= 2.8.82.8.8.1Patched before disclosure

Changelog mentions of security fixes: 2.8.8.9 (sanitize).

Sources: Wordfence Intelligence, CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, readme changelogs.

Support

100% of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months.

Momentum

10,000+ active installs. History builds with each weekly snapshot.

Weekly downloads, last 27 weeks
Weekly downloads for Prevent Direct Access
4 May 20262,170
11 May 20261,555
18 May 20261,600
25 May 20261,024
1 Jun 2026773
8 Jun 2026692
15 Jun 2026650
22 Jun 2026547
29 Jun 2026694
6 Jul 2026576
13 Jul 2026497
20 Jul 2026619
27 Jul 2026551
3 Aug 2026357
10 Aug 20267,469
17 Aug 20261,658
24 Aug 20266,139
31 Aug 20261,965
7 Sep 20261,169
14 Sep 20261,355
21 Sep 20261,037
28 Sep 20261,013
5 Oct 2026792
12 Oct 2026671
19 Oct 2026968
26 Oct 2026840
2 Nov 2026130

Weekly downloads over the last 4 weeks are 53% below the 27-week average.

Healthier alternatives

Same job, rated Healthy, higher Canary Score and at least 10,000 installs. Never sponsored.

IP Location BlockScore 96 · 10,000+Wordfence SecurityScore 94 · 5,000,000+Sucuri SecurityScore 93 · 600,000+WP Content Copy Protection & No RightScore 93 · 100,000+Disabled Source, Disabled Right ClickScore 93 · 10,000+

Facts

Version2.8.9.1
AuthorWP Folio Team
Added27 Nov 2015
Last updated27 Aug 2026
Active installs10,000+
Requires WordPress4.7
Tested up to7.1.4
Requires PHP7.0
CategorySecurity & Privacy > Security Scanning & Malware Protection
Tagsuploads, downloads, protection, copy protection, folder protection

Other plugins by this author: PPWP - Password Protect Pages

Questions

Is Prevent Direct Access still maintained?

Yes. Last release 27 Aug 2026, 12 releases in the last 24 months.

Who owns Prevent Direct Access, and has it changed hands?

No change recorded. Main committer buildwps since Apr 2023.

Was Prevent Direct Access removed from wordpress.org?

No. Listed on wordpress.org as of 4 Nov 2026.

Is Prevent Direct Access safe?

3 known vulnerabilities, all fixed (latest in 2.8.8.9). Not on the exploited list.

Is the latest Prevent Direct Access update safe to install?

No ownership change before 2.8.9.1. No one-star spike after it.

Data: wordpress.org Plugins API, plugins SVN and Trac, wordpress.org reviews and support forum, Wordfence Intelligence, CISA KEV, NVD.Plugin data refreshed 4 Nov 2026.Report a data issue