
Code Engine Security & Risk Analysis
wordpress.org/plugins/code-engineVersatile plugin that not only manages PHP code snippets but also acts as a powerful bridge connecting WordPress, AI, and external digital platforms.
Is Code Engine Safe to Use in 2026?
Generally Safe
Score 97/100Code Engine has a strong security track record. Known vulnerabilities have been patched promptly.
The "code-engine" v0.4.3 plugin exhibits a mixed security posture. While it demonstrates good practices such as a low attack surface with a single shortcode entry point and generally good output escaping (86%) and prepared statement usage (67% for SQL queries), there are notable concerns. The presence of 3 instances of `preg_replace` with the `/e` modifier is a significant red flag, as this is a known vulnerability vector for arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability history, with 2 known CVEs, including a past high-severity vulnerability related to Code Injection and Cross-site Scripting, further elevates the risk. Although there are no currently unpatched CVEs and taint analysis showed no critical or high severity flows, the historical pattern suggests potential weaknesses in input sanitization and output neutralization that could be exploited.
Overall, the plugin has strengths in limiting its attack surface and implementing some security best practices. However, the identified dangerous function usage (`preg_replace(/e)`) and the historical vulnerability types warrant caution. The absence of any taint flows in the static analysis might be due to the limited scope of the analysis or the specific code paths tested, and does not fully mitigate the risk posed by the `preg_replace` usage and past vulnerabilities. Users should be aware of these potential weaknesses and ensure the plugin is kept up-to-date with any future patches.
Key Concerns
- Dangerous function usage (preg_replace(/e))
- History of high-severity vulnerability (Code Injection/XSS)
- SQL queries without prepared statements
Code Engine Security Vulnerabilities
CVEs by Year
Severity Breakdown
2 total CVEs
Code Engine <= 0.3.3 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Remote Code Execution
Code Engine <= 0.3.2 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Code Engine Code Analysis
Dangerous Functions Found
SQL Query Safety
Output Escaping
Code Engine Attack Surface
Shortcodes 1
WordPress Hooks 27
Maintenance & Trust
Code Engine Maintenance & Trust
Maintenance Signals
Community Trust
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Code Engine Developer Profile
27 plugins · 371K total installs
How We Detect Code Engine
Patterns used to identify this plugin on WordPress sites during automated security audits and web crawling.
Asset Fingerprints
/wp-content/plugins/code-engine/app/index.js/wp-content/plugins/code-engine/app/vendor.jshttps://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Lato:wght@100;300;400;700;900&display=swapcode-engine/app/index.js?ver=code-engine/app/vendor.js?ver=HTML / DOM Fingerprints
mwcode-admin-settingsmwcode_snippet_vault/wp-json/code-engine/v1