Avatars Meta Box Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/avatars-meta-box

Select your post author in style. Choose post authors by avatar instead of a select drop-down.

10 active installs v1.0.0 PHP + WP 4.3+ Updated Unknown
authoravatars
100
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Avatars Meta Box Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 100/100

Avatars Meta Box has no known CVEs and is actively maintained. It's a solid choice for most WordPress installations.

No known CVEs
Risk Assessment

The "avatars-meta-box" v1.0.0 plugin exhibits an exceptionally clean static analysis report, showing no identifiable attack surface points, dangerous functions, direct SQL queries, file operations, external HTTP requests, or any taint flows. This indicates a strong adherence to secure coding practices in the analyzed code. The absence of any historical vulnerabilities or CVEs further reinforces this positive security posture, suggesting a well-maintained and thoroughly reviewed codebase.

However, the complete lack of any security checks, specifically capability checks and nonce checks, across all code signals is a significant concern. While the current attack surface is zero, any future addition of functionality, particularly AJAX handlers or REST API endpoints, would inherently be vulnerable without these crucial security measures. This presents a potential risk for future development or integration within a WordPress environment. The plugin's current security is strong due to its minimal footprint and clean code, but it lacks foundational protective layers that are essential for long-term security.

In conclusion, "avatars-meta-box" v1.0.0 is currently secure due to its lack of exposed functionality and reliance on prepared statements for any potential (though absent) database interactions. The absence of historical vulnerabilities is a major strength. The primary weakness lies in the complete absence of capability and nonce checks, which, while not exploitable with the current code, represents a significant gap in security best practices that could lead to vulnerabilities if the plugin evolves.

Key Concerns

  • No capability checks
  • No nonce checks
  • High percentage of unescaped output (20%)
Vulnerabilities
None known

Avatars Meta Box Security Vulnerabilities

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

Avatars Meta Box Code Analysis

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

Output Escaping

80% escaped5 total outputs
Attack Surface

Avatars Meta Box Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 6
actionload-post.phpadmin\class-meta-box-avatars.php:30
actionload-post-new.phpadmin\class-meta-box-avatars.php:31
actionadd_meta_boxesadmin\class-meta-box-avatars.php:45
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsadmin\class-meta-box-avatars.php:48
actionplugins_loadedavatars-meta-box.php:120
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsavatars-meta-box.php:123
Maintenance & Trust

Avatars Meta Box Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested4.4.34
Last updatedUnknown
PHP min version
Downloads3K

Community Trust

Rating0/100
Number of ratings0
Active installs10
Developer Profile

Avatars Meta Box Developer Profile

Justin Tadlock

33 plugins · 34K total installs

85
trust score
Avg Security Score
87/100
Avg Patch Time
30 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Avatars Meta Box

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

Asset Fingerprints

Asset Paths
/wp-content/plugins/avatars-meta-box/css/avatars-meta-box.css
Version Parameters
avatars-meta-box.css?ver=

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

CSS Classes
amb-avatarsamb-which-authorscreen-reader-text
Data Attributes
name="post_author_override"
JS Globals
jQuery
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Avatars Meta Box