Force gzip Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/force-gzip

Implements gzip output compression to speed up load times and does a check to see if browsers are incorrectly saying that they do not support GZIP whe …

200 active installs v1.0.1 PHP + WP 2.0+ Updated Jul 20, 2010
compressiongzipserver
85
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Force gzip Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 85/100

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

No known CVEs Updated 15yr ago
Risk Assessment

The force-gzip v1.0.1 plugin exhibits a generally strong security posture based on the provided static analysis and vulnerability history. The absence of any known CVEs, critical or otherwise, indicates a history of responsible development and timely patching. Furthermore, the code analysis reveals no direct SQL injection vulnerabilities, as all queries are performed using prepared statements, and there are no identified critical or high severity taint flows. The plugin also avoids common attack vectors like AJAX handlers, REST API routes, shortcodes, and cron events that are not properly secured, meaning its direct attack surface is effectively zero. This suggests a diligent approach to minimizing potential entry points for malicious activity.

However, a notable concern arises from the output escaping analysis, where 100% of the observed outputs are not properly escaped. This presents a significant risk of cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts into the website that are then rendered by users' browsers. The presence of file operations, even if only one, also warrants caution, especially in conjunction with the lack of proper output escaping. While the plugin's overall architecture appears secure with no apparent vulnerabilities in its handling of entry points or data sanitization, the complete lack of output escaping is a critical weakness that needs immediate attention.

Key Concerns

  • All outputs unescaped
Vulnerabilities
None known

Force gzip Security Vulnerabilities

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

Force gzip Code Analysis

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

Output Escaping

0% escaped2 total outputs
Attack Surface

Force gzip Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 4
actioninitforce-gzip.php:59
filterquery_varsforce-gzip.php:60
actionparse_queryforce-gzip.php:61
actionwp_footerforce-gzip.php:92
Maintenance & Trust

Force gzip Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested3.0.5
Last updatedJul 20, 2010
PHP min version
Downloads29K

Community Trust

Rating80/100
Number of ratings1
Active installs200
Developer Profile

Force gzip Developer Profile

Em Shreve

1 plugin · 200 total installs

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

How We Detect Force gzip

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

Asset Fingerprints

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Force gzip