FAIR

Federated and Independent Repositories

Vulnerable Plugin Checker

Plugin Banner

Vulnerable Plugin Checker

by Storm Rockwell

Download
Description

This plugin automatically checks installed plugins for known vulnerabilities utilizing WPScan’s API and provides optional email alerts.

Features:

  • Automatic vulnerability detection in plugins utilizing WPScan’s API
  • Optional email alerts
  • Utilizes WP Cron to check for new security updates twice a day
  • Cached API results to decrease backend load time significantly

Installation & Activation

  1. Upload the folder “vulnerable-plugin-checker” to your WordPress Plugins Directory (typically “/wp-content/plugins/”)
  2. Activate the plugin on your Plugins Page.
  3. Suggestion: Install an SMTP plugin such as WP Mail SMTP to prevent potentially dropped emails
  4. Done!

Enable Email Updates

  1. After activating “Vulnerable Plugin Checker”, go to Settings > VPC Settings
  2. Check off “Allow Email Alerts” and enter your email in “Email Address”
  3. Click Save Changes
  1. Backend display of the Plugins page (plugins.php)

    Backend display of the Plugins page (plugins.php)

  2. Backend display of the VPC Settings page (Settings > VPC Settings)

    Backend display of the VPC Settings page (Settings > VPC Settings)

Installation Instructions

Installation & Activation

  1. Upload the folder “vulnerable-plugin-checker” to your WordPress Plugins Directory (typically “/wp-content/plugins/”)
  2. Activate the plugin on your Plugins Page.
  3. Suggestion: Install an SMTP plugin such as WP Mail SMTP to prevent potentially dropped emails
  4. Done!

Enable Email Updates

  1. After activating “Vulnerable Plugin Checker”, go to Settings > VPC Settings
  2. Check off “Allow Email Alerts” and enter your email in “Email Address”
  3. Click Save Changes

AVOID - NO LONGER KEPT UP-TO-DATE

By Dan (dtrim) on February 24, 2021

AVOID - NO LONGER KEPT UP-TO-DATE

No way to get the information!

By toremo on May 21, 2018

It seems that this plugin is producing a whole lot false positive as it does not evaluate base64 entries which often get used i.e. by nearly all 100 WPMUDEV plugins. "VPC: One or more plugins currently installed have known vulnerabilities with their current version. I suggest updating each vulnerable plugin if an update is available" Many other security scanners incl Sucuri have no problem with that! And 5-star ratings by its own developers does not mean that this plugin does anything. I would suggest leaving the rating of your plugins to other people! Kind regards Toremo

Not ideal on WordPress multisite

By thomaswm on January 28, 2018

The plugin is very useful to see which plugins have known vulnerabilities. On WordPress multisite, however, it displays this information in the site admin backends instead of the network admin backend. That makes it a bit less useful, because the network admins cannot see the information when they are in the network admin backend.

Awesome Plugin

By session9studios on July 3, 2017

I use it on all of my sites, definitely recommend this plugin to all developers!

I love my plugin

By Storm Rockwell (stormrockwell) on December 9, 2016

I can say it has made me feel safer when hosting sites. I get alerted before a hack takes place as I have dealt with hacked sites for far too long. I haven't dealt with a hacked site running my plugin. Plugin vulnerabilities are the easiest way for a hacker to get into your site/server.

Great Plugin!

By rrbarry11 on September 3, 2016

Great plugin. Works just as expected with no additional setup needed

Great stuff

By Andrew Rockwell (rockwell15) on September 3, 2016

Instantly works after activation, I didn't have to do anything else to set it up. Apparently my Visual Composer was vulnerable, wouldn't have found out otherwise.

Love it. Huge help on preventing hacks

By erjon on September 3, 2016

I just installed this plugin on few of my sites and I can immediately see some of the plugins that are vulnerable. This is going to be a huge help.

0.3.12

  • Fixed false positive by adding normalizing to the version number in case WPScan’s API adds .0 to the version number

0.3.11

  • Now the plugins page only shows only vulnerabilities that affect the current plugin version (suggested by @gbotica)
  • Fixed the Settings URL in multiple places (reported by @gbotica)

0.3.10

  • Fixed bug where unpatched vulnerabilities were ignored (reported by @pluginvulnerabilities)

0.3.9

  • Fixed notice appearing on PHP7+

0.3.8

  • fixed bug where it wouldn’t display the saved email

0.3.7

  • removed sslverify on wp_remote_get

0.3.6

  • changed cURL to wp_remote_get
  • added vulnerabilities on plugin page
  • fixed issue with plugin not pulling from cache

0.3.5

  • fixed readme error

0.3.4

  • fixed minor email bug

0.3.2

  • changed language

0.3

  • Rewrote the plugin for better performance, readability, and more
  • Dismissable error message in all back-end pages if there is a vulnerability
  • Added SMTP suggestion to prevent dropped emails
  • Removed success notice from plugin page if there are no vulnerabilities
  • Fixed a few non-breaking bugs
  • Added translatable text and translator comments. Translation help is welcome!
  • Added todo.txt to see my plans for future updates.

0.2.4

  • Fixed conflicts with Gravity Forms

0.2.3

  • Added support for adding multiple email addresses

0.2.2

  • Fixed issue where text display appeared on multiple backend pages

0.2

  • Text display on the plugins page if there are no known vulnerabilities
  • Runs a scan when a new plugin is activated
  • Fixed issue when a plugin was deleted it would throw an error

0.1.4

  • WP 4.5 Support

0.1.3

  • Fixed issue when more than one plugin was found vulnerable on plugins.php
Back to top