How Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall Affects Your WordPress Speed
How is this scored?
Our Benchmark Methodology
Every speed score on MakeWPFast is based on real performance measurements, not estimates. We install each plugin on a clean WordPress 6.9 setup (PHP 8.3, MariaDB, GeneratePress theme) and measure the difference in three metrics:
TTFB (Time To First Byte) — how many milliseconds the plugin adds to server response time. This is the most important factor (50% of the score) because it directly affects every page load.
Memory usage — how much additional PHP memory the plugin consumes per request (30% of score). High memory usage can cause crashes on shared hosting.
Database queries — how many extra SQL queries the plugin runs per page load (20% of score). More queries mean more database work on every request.
| Grade | What it means |
|---|---|
| A / A- | Negligible impact. Safe to install on any hosting. |
| B+ / B / B- | Light impact. Adds some overhead but manageable on most setups. |
| C+ / C / C- | Moderate impact. May noticeably slow down budget hosting. |
| D+ / D | Heavy impact. Will affect page load times. Consider alternatives. |
| F | Severe impact. Significant resource usage that hurts performance. |
Plugins marked "Not Yet Tested" have not been benchmarked yet. We do not estimate or guess scores — if there is no measured data, there is no grade.
Note: Benchmarks measure a plugin in isolation on a clean install. Real-world impact varies based on your hosting, other plugins, and how the plugin is configured.
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Performance Analysis
Performance Impact
Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall receives an estimated speed score of B-. Our real benchmark tests measured the following impact when activating this plugin:
- TTFB impact: +17 ms
- Memory impact: +2.0 MB
- Additional DB queries: +45
Overall activation impact: high. This plugin adds significant overhead. Consider alternatives if performance is critical.
Maintenance Status
Last updated: 2026-02-02. Requires PHP 8.0.0+. Trusted by 90K+ active installations.
Benchmark data measured in an isolated Docker environment (WordPress 6.8, PHP 8.3, GeneratePress). See our full methodology.
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Alternatives to Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall
| Plugin | Speed Score | Active Installs |
|---|---|---|
| Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security | A | 5M+ |
| Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) | A | 3M+ |
| Hostinger Tools | A | 3M+ |
Frequently Asked Questions
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