Auto Refresh API AJAX Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/auto-refresh-api-ajax

Plugin to load data via JSON-API, display it on WordPress pages, posts, or sidebars, and auto-refresh without reloading. E.g. for livetickers...

40 active installs v1.2.10 PHP 7.0+ WP 3.0+ Updated Apr 16, 2025
ajaxapicontentjsonliveticker
100
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Auto Refresh API AJAX Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 100/100

Auto Refresh API AJAX has no known CVEs and is actively maintained. It's a solid choice for most WordPress installations.

No known CVEs Updated 11mo ago
Risk Assessment

The "auto-refresh-api-ajax" plugin v1.2.10 presents a significant security risk due to a lack of proper authentication and authorization checks on its entry points. All identified AJAX handlers and REST API routes are exposed without any validation, meaning any user, regardless of their role or permissions, could potentially interact with these functions. While the plugin demonstrates good practices in other areas, such as using prepared statements for SQL queries and largely escaping output, this single area of weakness can lead to serious vulnerabilities if exploited. The absence of any recorded historical vulnerabilities might suggest that the exposed entry points have not been widely targeted or exploited in the past, but this does not mitigate the current risk. The overall security posture is concerning, leaning towards insecure due to the critical gap in access control.

Key Concerns

  • AJAX handlers without auth checks
  • REST API routes without permission callbacks
  • Flows with unsanitized paths
  • Total entry points without auth
Vulnerabilities
None known

Auto Refresh API AJAX Security Vulnerabilities

No known vulnerabilities — this is a good sign.
Code Analysis
Analyzed Mar 16, 2026

Auto Refresh API AJAX Code Analysis

Dangerous Functions
0
Raw SQL Queries
0
0 prepared
Unescaped Output
1
59 escaped
Nonce Checks
3
Capability Checks
0
File Operations
0
External Requests
3
Bundled Libraries
0

Output Escaping

98% escaped60 total outputs
Data Flows
1 unsanitized

Data Flow Analysis

4 flows1 with unsanitized paths
<auto-refresh-api-ajax-lib> (auto-refresh-api-ajax-lib.php:0)
Source (user input) Sink (dangerous op) Sanitizer Transform Unsanitized Sanitized
Attack Surface
3 unprotected

Auto Refresh API AJAX Attack Surface

Entry Points3
Unprotected3

AJAX Handlers 2

authwp_ajax_autorefreshapiajax_ajax_functionauto-refresh-api-ajax.php:40
noprivwp_ajax_autorefreshapiajax_ajax_functionauto-refresh-api-ajax.php:41

REST API Routes 1

GET/wp-json/araa/v1/geturl/auto-refresh-api-ajax.php:45
WordPress Hooks 6
actionrest_api_initauto-refresh-api-ajax.php:44
actionwp_enqueue_scriptsauto-refresh-api-ajax.php:52
actionwp_headauto-refresh-api-ajax.php:108
actionwp_footerauto-refresh-api-ajax.php:116
actionadmin_menuoptions.php:4
actionadmin_initoptions.php:12
Maintenance & Trust

Auto Refresh API AJAX Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested6.8.5
Last updatedApr 16, 2025
PHP min version7.0
Downloads6K

Community Trust

Rating100/100
Number of ratings1
Active installs40
Developer Profile

Auto Refresh API AJAX Developer Profile

berkux

5 plugins · 17K total installs

78
trust score
Avg Security Score
99/100
Avg Patch Time
220 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Auto Refresh API AJAX

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

Asset Fingerprints

Asset Paths
/wp-content/plugins/auto-refresh-api-ajax/js/auto_refresh_api_ajax.js
Script Paths
/wp-content/plugins/auto-refresh-api-ajax/js/auto_refresh_api_ajax.js
Version Parameters
auto-refresh-api-ajax/js/auto_refresh_api_ajax.js?ver=auto-refresh-api-ajax.js?ver=

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

JS Globals
autorefreshapiajaxparam
REST Endpoints
/wp-json/araa/v1/geturl/
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Auto Refresh API AJAX