Add Descendants As Submenu Items Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/add-descendants-as-submenu-items

Automatically all of a nav menu item's descendants as submenu items. Designed for pages but will work with any hierarchical post type or taxonomy …

2K active installs v1.2.2 PHP + WP + Updated Sep 6, 2022
childrendescendantsmenunav-menu
85
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Add Descendants As Submenu Items Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 85/100

Add Descendants As Submenu Items has no known CVEs and is actively maintained. It's a solid choice for most WordPress installations.

No known CVEs Updated 3yr ago
Risk Assessment

The plugin "add-descendants-as-submenu-items" v1.2.2 exhibits a strong security posture based on the provided static analysis. There are no identified entry points such as AJAX handlers, REST API routes, or shortcodes that are unprotected by authentication or permission checks. The code also demonstrates good practices by using prepared statements for all SQL queries and properly escaping all output. Furthermore, the absence of dangerous functions, file operations, external HTTP requests, and critical taint flows suggests a well-written and secure codebase.

The vulnerability history is equally positive, with zero recorded CVEs. This, combined with the static analysis findings, indicates that the plugin has not historically been a target for significant vulnerabilities and has maintained a secure implementation over time. The presence of capability checks, even if only one is identified, is a positive sign of thoughtful security implementation.

In conclusion, this plugin appears to be very secure with no immediate red flags. Its strengths lie in its minimal attack surface, robust coding practices regarding data handling and output, and a clean vulnerability history. The only potential area for even further improvement would be to ensure all sensitive functionalities, if any were to be added in the future, are covered by appropriate capability checks.

Vulnerabilities
None known

Add Descendants As Submenu Items Security Vulnerabilities

No known vulnerabilities — this is a good sign.
Version History

Add Descendants As Submenu Items Release Timeline

v1.2.2Current
v1.2.1
v1.2.0
Code Analysis
Analyzed Mar 16, 2026

Add Descendants As Submenu Items Code Analysis

Dangerous Functions
0
Raw SQL Queries
0
0 prepared
Unescaped Output
0
0 escaped
Nonce Checks
0
Capability Checks
1
File Operations
0
External Requests
0
Bundled Libraries
0
Attack Surface

Add Descendants As Submenu Items Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 4
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsadd-descendants-as-submenu-items.php:99
actionwp_update_nav_menuadd-descendants-as-submenu-items.php:101
filterwp_get_nav_menu_itemsadd-descendants-as-submenu-items.php:103
filterwp_nav_menu_objectsadd-descendants-as-submenu-items.php:287
Maintenance & Trust

Add Descendants As Submenu Items Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested6.0.11
Last updatedSep 6, 2022
PHP min version
Downloads34K

Community Trust

Rating100/100
Number of ratings20
Active installs2K
Developer Profile

Add Descendants As Submenu Items Developer Profile

Alex Mills

5 plugins · 1.0M total installs

73
trust score
Avg Security Score
92/100
Avg Patch Time
1675 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Add Descendants As Submenu Items

Patterns used to identify this plugin on WordPress sites during automated security audits and web crawling.

Asset Fingerprints

Asset Paths
/wp-content/plugins/add-descendants-as-submenu-items/checkboxes.js
Script Paths
/wp-content/plugins/add-descendants-as-submenu-items/checkboxes.js
Version Parameters
add-descendants-as-submenu-items/checkboxes.js?ver=1.2.1

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

HTML Comments
<!-- A note about this plugin: This plugin uses Javascript and some AJAX to add the checkboxes to the nav menu UI only because no hooks exist to add it using PHP. If Walker_Nav_Menu_Edit::start_el() had a do_action() or two, then I would have used that instead. I even have created a ticket to get some added: http://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/18584 In short, just because this plugin is modifying WordPress UIs via Javascript doesn't mean that's the preferred way to do it. ;) -->
Data Attributes
idtrackerajaxactioncheckboxprefixcheckboxdesc
JS Globals
ADASIParams
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Add Descendants As Submenu Items