FAIR

Federated and Independent Repositories

Smart User Slug Hider

Plugin Banner

Smart User Slug Hider

by Peter Raschendorfer

Download
Description

The Smart User Slug Hider Plugin hides usernames in Author Pages URLs to enhance Security

Retired Plugin

Development, maintenance and support of this plugin has been retired in october 2023. You can use this plugin as long as is works for you.

There will be no more updates and I won’t answer any support questions. Thanks for your understanding.

Feel free to fork this plugin.

Usage

The plugin automatically replaces user names with 16 digits coded strings. There are no settings. Just install and forget. Deactivating the Plugin restores the default WordPress behavior.

Why use this plugin?

WordPress uses the pattern example.com/author/name for author page URLs where name represents the users login name.

This means that the login names from all your users are publicly visible which is a serious security flaw.

The Smart User Slug Hider Plugin changes all author page URLs from e.g. example.com/author/john to something like example.com/author/e9e716def73f76ac.

The codes are generated automatically and its impossible to make conclusions about the user names. The WordPress default URLs will cause a 404 (not found) error.

Shortcodes

The plugin adds three shortcodes you can use in your posts:

  • [smart_user_slug] – the user slug of the post author – e.g. e9e716def73f76ac
  • [smart_user_url] – the url of the post author’s profile page – e.g. example.com/author/e9e716def73f76ac
  • [smart_user_link] – adds a link to the post author’s profile page

Theme Functions

The plugin adds two functions that can be used in theme files:

  • get_smart_user_slug( $author_id ) to get the user slug for the author – the parameter $author_id is optional, if omitted the author`s ID of the current post is used
  • the_smart_user_slug( $author_id ) to display the user slug for the author – the parameter $author_id is optional, if omitted the author`s ID of the current post is used

Plugin Privacy Information

  • This plugin does not set cookies
  • This plugin does not collect or store any data
  • This plugin does not send any data to external servers

Sad Loss

By briannie on April 30, 2024

What a pity that the author is retiring and feels he can no longer support this plugin because it really did do the job and very well indeed. I do hope someone will pick up the coding and get it working again. I notice now that some of my many websites are working fine but others I've had to delete the plugin as it's causing a critical error making the site completely unusable as it's unobtainable. There must be a conflict but I can't see it. Correction is easy, it just means accessing the WP folders, finding this plugin and deleting the folder. I've not been able to find another plugin that so simply does what this one does. Any ideas anyone?

Does exactly as required!

By Terrettgnome on April 29, 2023

Does exactly what it says and minimal set up required. Just what I needed, thanks!

I had an idea inspired by a kids' educational app that self-generates memorable passwords that might be good for a future iteration to make it more fun: instead of numbers, a noun phrase with a few random adjectives before. Just a thought.

Good plugin

By burneplasmafire on March 18, 2023

I used a different user slug hider in the past and when it stopped being updated I switched to this one.

Nice for hide user link

By mdmumin on February 14, 2023

Best apps. but needto update for seo that are gone wrong way to user link! please solve that.

Exactly What I Was Looking For

By omgraj on November 13, 2022

Worked right out of the box on my BuddyBoss Theme. Thank you so much for creating this important plugin.

Good Plugins

By kryoz507 on November 19, 2022

I like the plugin, is easy to use. I hope the plugin keep updated or improvement.

Easy to setup

By doywil on June 10, 2022

Thanks for creating this simple and easy to use plugin. Excellent if you want to hide your usernames from the public.

Easy to use

By standew on April 23, 2022

Very good, easy to use

Excelente plugin

By n22gc on February 16, 2022

Gracias a este plugin he podido esconder de los robots informáticos maliciosos los nombres de los autores del sitio, reduciendo las posibilidades de intentos de acceso.

Very Useful Plugin. Easy and works well

By nextstep (nextstep99) on December 10, 2021

As others have said, this plugin works well. Easy to use, install it, activate it and it's set. As it provides a 16 digit coded user slug, would love the option to set a "pseudo name" (nom de plume? aka?) to hide the coded slug - so as not to look quite so obvious that a plugin is being used to hide the author. Even still, 5 stars. thanks!

4.0.6 (2024-04-17) URGENT BUGFIX

  • Bugfix after Cleanup

4.0.5 (2024-04-16) CLEANUP

  • Cleanup

4.0.4 (2022-10-05) FINAL VERSION

  • removed all links to webiste
  • removed request for rating

4.0.3 (2023-03-26)

4.0.2 (2022-05-28)

  • just cosmetics
  • Plugin Foundation updated to PPF08

4.0.1 (2020-08-23)

  • minor UI adjustments

4.0.0 (2019-12-29)

  • remove user class from body tag (See here)
  • always use Future Proof Mode, old method removed
  • rewritten based on my Plugin Foundation PPF03

3 (2018-12-31)

  • Future Safe Mode renamed to Future Proof Mode
  • automatically activate Future Proof Mode if mcrypt is not availabe
  • code improvement
  • UI improvements
  • changed capability to manage_options to display admin page

2 (2018-03-14)

  • Future Safe Mode

1.5 (2017-11-16)

  • faulty display in WP 4.9 fixed

1.4 (2017-07-15)

  • fix for BuddyExtender plugin

1.3 (2017-07-17)

  • BuddyPress compatibility
  • redesigned admin interface
  • code improvement

1.2 (2016-10-04)

  • Shortcodes added
  • Theme Functions added

1.1 (2016-06-30)

  • Code optimization
  • Plugin info page added

1.0 (2014-10-02)

  • Initial Release
Back to top