Control XML-RPC publishing Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/control-xml-rpc-publishing

Control remote publishing with XML-RPC from the writing settings page.

500 active installs v1.0 PHP + WP 3.5+ Updated Dec 4, 2015
securityxml-rpcxmlrpc
85
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Control XML-RPC publishing Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 85/100

Control XML-RPC publishing has no known CVEs and is actively maintained. It's a solid choice for most WordPress installations.

No known CVEs Updated 10yr ago
Risk Assessment

The control-xml-rpc-publishing plugin v1.0 exhibits a generally strong security posture based on the provided static analysis. The absence of any identified attack surface entry points, dangerous functions, raw SQL queries, or external HTTP requests is highly commendable and indicates a developer focused on secure coding practices. Taint analysis also reveals no critical or high-severity flows, further reinforcing this positive assessment.

However, a significant concern emerges from the output escaping results. With one total output and 0% properly escaped, there is a clear risk of cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities if any user-controlled data is ever rendered directly in the output. The lack of nonce and capability checks, while not immediately exploitable due to the absence of entry points, represents a potential weakness if the plugin were to evolve and introduce new functionalities that become accessible externally.

The plugin's vulnerability history is clean, with no known CVEs. This, combined with the static analysis findings, suggests that the current version is likely very secure. The primary weakness lies in the unescaped output, which, despite the limited attack surface, could be a vector for attacks if user input is displayed without sanitization. Overall, the plugin is well-developed from a security perspective, but the unescaped output needs immediate attention.

Key Concerns

  • Unescaped output detected
  • No nonce checks on entry points
  • No capability checks on entry points
Vulnerabilities
None known

Control XML-RPC publishing Security Vulnerabilities

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

Control XML-RPC publishing Code Analysis

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

Output Escaping

0% escaped1 total outputs
Attack Surface

Control XML-RPC publishing Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 2
filterxmlrpc_enabledcontrol-xml-rpc-publishing.php:24
actionadmin_initcontrol-xml-rpc-publishing.php:55
Maintenance & Trust

Control XML-RPC publishing Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested4.4.34
Last updatedDec 4, 2015
PHP min version
Downloads21K

Community Trust

Rating100/100
Number of ratings2
Active installs500
Developer Profile

Control XML-RPC publishing Developer Profile

Mark-k

7 plugins · 2K total installs

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

How We Detect Control XML-RPC publishing

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

Asset Fingerprints

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

Data Attributes
mk_xrp_enable_xmlrpc
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Control XML-RPC publishing