Decategorizer Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/decategorizer

"Decategorizer" removes 'category base' from your permalinks. Quick setup and no editing required. 301 redirections are added aut …

10 active installs v0.7.1.2 PHP + WP 2.5+ Updated Jun 26, 2009
categorycategory-basecategory_baseremoveremove-category
85
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Decategorizer Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 85/100

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

No known CVEs Updated 16yr ago
Risk Assessment

The decategorizer plugin version 0.7.1.2 exhibits several concerning security practices despite having no publicly known vulnerabilities. The static analysis reveals a significant lack of security checks, including zero capability checks and zero nonce checks. Furthermore, 100% of its SQL queries are not using prepared statements, which is a critical vulnerability that could lead to SQL injection. The presence of the `create_function` dangerous function, while not explicitly linked to a vulnerability in this analysis, is a known source of potential security issues and should be avoided. The taint analysis shows that all analyzed flows involve unsanitized paths, indicating a high risk of handling user-supplied data insecurely, even though no critical or high severity issues were flagged directly. The absence of a vulnerability history is positive, but it does not negate the significant risks identified in the code itself. The plugin's overall security posture is weak due to these fundamental security flaws.

Key Concerns

  • Raw SQL queries without prepared statements
  • Taint analysis: Unsanitized paths found
  • Dangerous function: create_function
  • No nonce checks
  • No capability checks
  • Output escaping: 60% not properly escaped
Vulnerabilities
None known

Decategorizer Security Vulnerabilities

No known vulnerabilities — this is a good sign.
Code Analysis
Analyzed Mar 17, 2026

Decategorizer Code Analysis

Dangerous Functions
1
Raw SQL Queries
12
0 prepared
Unescaped Output
3
2 escaped
Nonce Checks
0
Capability Checks
0
File Operations
2
External Requests
0
Bundled Libraries
0

Dangerous Functions Found

create_functioncreate_function("", 'return decategorizer_options_output( array("name" => "decategorizer_excluded_uswp-decategorizer.php:397

SQL Query Safety

0% prepared12 total queries

Output Escaping

40% escaped5 total outputs
Data Flows
2 unsanitized

Data Flow Analysis

2 flows2 with unsanitized paths
decategorizer_options (wp-decategorizer.php:380)
Source (user input) Sink (dangerous op) Sanitizer Transform Unsanitized Sanitized
Attack Surface

Decategorizer Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 17
actionadmin_initwp-decategorizer.php:403
actionadmin_noticeswp-decategorizer.php:496
actionadmin_headwp-decategorizer.php:507
actionupdate_option_permalink_structurewp-decategorizer.php:510
actionpermalink_structure_changedwp-decategorizer.php:512
actionupdate_option_category_basewp-decategorizer.php:514
actionupdate_option_tag_basewp-decategorizer.php:515
actionupdate_option_homewp-decategorizer.php:516
actionupdate_option_decategorizer_excluded_user_pathswp-decategorizer.php:517
actionedit_categorywp-decategorizer.php:519
actiondelete_categorywp-decategorizer.php:520
actionwp_insert_postwp-decategorizer.php:521
actiondelete_postwp-decategorizer.php:522
filtercategory_linkwp-decategorizer.php:524
filterget_pagenum_linkwp-decategorizer.php:525
filterwp_list_categorieswp-decategorizer.php:526
filterthe_categorywp-decategorizer.php:527
Maintenance & Trust

Decategorizer Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested2.8
Last updatedJun 26, 2009
PHP min version
Downloads12K

Community Trust

Rating0/100
Number of ratings0
Active installs10
Developer Profile

Decategorizer Developer Profile

Aesqe

1 plugin · 10 total installs

84
trust score
Avg Security Score
85/100
Avg Patch Time
30 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Decategorizer

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

Asset Fingerprints

Version Parameters
decategorizer/style.css?ver=decategorizer/script.js?ver=

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Decategorizer