PLUGIN SECURITY
Is Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection safe?
The best anti-spam protection to block spam comments and spam in a contact form. The most trusted antispam solution for WordPress and WooCommerce.
What this plugin does
- Slug:
akismet - Author: Automattic
- 5000000+ active installs
- 94/100 rating (1186 reviews on wordpress.org)
- 404674985 all-time downloads
- On WordPress.org since 2005-10-20
anti-spamantispamcommentscontact formspam
Maintenance status
- Latest known version: 5.7
- Last updated: 2026-08-18 11:42pm GMT
- Tested up to WordPress: 7.1
- Requires PHP: 7.2+
- Max supported PHP (analyzed): 8.4
Known vulnerabilities
2 known CVEs on file for Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection. Reported between 2007 and 2015.
| CVE | Vulnerability | Type | Severity | Affected | Fixed in | Published | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2015-9357 | Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection [akismet] < 3.1.5 | Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') | Medium 6.1 | < 3.1.5 | 3.1.5 | 2015-10-13 | ✓ fixed in latest |
| — | Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection [akismet] < 3.1.5 | — | Unknown | < 3.1.5 | 3.1.5 | 2015-10-13 | ✓ fixed in latest |
| — | Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection [akismet] < 1.1 | — | Unknown | < 1.1 | 1.1 | 2012-10-01 | ✓ fixed in latest |
| CVE-2007-2714 | Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection [akismet] < 2.0.2 | — | Unknown | < 2.0.2 | 2.0.2 | 2007-05-14 | ✓ fixed in latest |
How to fix it
Keep Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection updated — 5.7 is the latest version on wordpress.org, and each CVE above lists the exact release that fixed it ("Fixed in").
This is the plugin's full known vulnerability history, not a scan of any specific installation — run a free scan of your own site to check your exact installed version.
Safer / more established alternatives
- Antispam Bee — 700000+ active installs — 96/100 (226) — max PHP 8.4
- WP Armour – Honeypot Anti Spam — 400000+ active installs — 100/100 (1434) — max PHP 8.4
- CF7 Apps – Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, and Addons for Contact Form 7 — 300000+ active installs — 76/100 (135) — max PHP 8.4
- Spam protection, Honeypot, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk — 200000+ active installs — 96/100 (3205) — max PHP 8.4
- CloudSecure WP Security — 100000+ active installs — 100/100 (2) — max PHP 8.4
Check your own WordPress site
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