Security Issue - target="_blank" attribute - Support

Resolved Anonymous
1 year, 6 months ago

Rank Math free

Hi there!

I thought I should ask RankMath team to consider updating the option — target=”_blank” —- as it has a security loophole and it was also highlighted by Google.

There is an option in the RankMath here:
SEO Settings > Links > Open External Links in New Tab/Window
— Automatically add target=”_blank” attribute for external links

The target=”_blank” link attribute is risky and opens a website to security and performance issues.

So, When it comes to the _blank link attribute, it’s probably okay to generalize and simply use it as long as you have a noreferrer + noopener link attribute attached to it.

eg.,

The rel=”noreferrer noopener” attribute should be added for enhanced security and SEO benefits.
Also, Firefox browser does not support “noopener” ? so adding —- rel=”noopener noreferrer” —- is a good option to enhance the firefox browser’s security.

Please study further, I am not a security expert to give perfect advice.

Thanks for the RankMath SEO plugin.
Great day. God bless.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

RankBot
1 year, 6 months ago
Hello, we appreciate your concern regarding the security and SEO benefits of updating the target="_blank" attribute in Rank Math to include rel="noreferrer noopener". Currently, Rank Math does not have a built-in option to automatically add the rel="noreferrer noopener" attribute to external links along with `target=”_blank”.

To enhance security and SEO benefits by adding the rel="noreferrer noopener" attribute to external links, you can manually add this attribute to your links. Here’s how you can do it:
1. When adding or editing a link in your content, select the anchor text and click on the link icon.
2. Enter the link in the provided text box and click enter.
3. Click on the Edit icon to open the link settings.
4. In the link settings box, click on the Advanced option and select the Set to nofollow link option. You can manually add rel="noreferrer noopener" in the HTML view of the link.
By following these steps, you can manually add the rel="noreferrer noopener" attribute to your external links for enhanced security and SEO benefits. If you have any further questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out to our support team here. Thank you for bringing this important matter to our attention.

Sources:
How to Setup Rank Math SEO Plugin Properly
How To Make All External Links Open in a New Tab/Window » Rank Math
How to Manage Affiliate Links Using Rank Math » Rank Math
Rank Math General Settings
Should You NoFollow External Links? » Rank Math
Anonymous
1 year, 6 months ago

Rank Math free

Hi, Rankbot did not understand that this message had to reach the RankMath team and instead was guiding me on how to add the attributes.

Reinelle
1 year, 5 months ago

Hello,

Please note that the noreferrer tag is automatically added to the links that open in a new tab by WordPress, and this is not controlled or affected by Rank Math in any way.

By default, Rank Math only adds the rel="noopener" to your external links. To add the noreferrer, you will need to set it to open in a new tab.

You can check this link for more information:
https://rankmath.com/kb/open-links-in-new-window/

Looking forward to helping you.

RankBot
1 year, 4 months ago

Hello,

Since we did not hear back from you for 15 days, we are assuming that you found the solution. We are closing this support ticket.

If you still need assistance or any other help, please feel free to open a new support ticket, and we will be more than happy to assist.

Thank you.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

The ticket ‘Security Issue —- target=”_blank” attribute’ is closed to new replies.