Ghost Update Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/ghost-update

Auto-refresh post/page, encourage recrawls by refreshing timestamps and optionally notifying Google. Boost SEO visibility without changing your conten …

0 active installs v1.2.2 PHP 7.2+ WP 5.8+ Updated Jan 27, 2026
indexing-apipost-refreshrecrawlscheduled-updatesseo
100
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Download
Safety Verdict

Is Ghost Update Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 100/100

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

No known CVEs Updated 3mo ago
Risk Assessment

The ghost-update plugin v1.2.2 exhibits a strong security posture based on the provided static analysis. All identified entry points, including the single AJAX handler, are protected by authentication checks. The code also demonstrates excellent secure coding practices with 100% of SQL queries utilizing prepared statements and all output being properly escaped. Furthermore, no critical or high-severity taint flows were detected, indicating a lack of common injection vulnerabilities. The plugin's vulnerability history is clean, with no recorded CVEs, which suggests a commitment to security or a lack of historical targeting. The presence of nonce checks for all identified entry points is a positive indicator for preventing CSRF attacks.

However, there are a few minor points to consider. The plugin performs four file operations and makes two external HTTP requests, which, while not inherently insecure, represent potential avenues for exploitation if not handled with extreme care. The single capability check, while present, might not cover all necessary administrative actions depending on the plugin's functionality. The absence of any reported vulnerabilities in its history is generally positive, but it's also worth noting that new vulnerabilities can emerge, and past good behavior is not a guarantee of future security. Overall, the plugin appears to be well-secured, but a review of the specific implementations of file operations and external requests would be beneficial for a comprehensive security assessment.

Key Concerns

  • File operations performed
  • External HTTP requests made
Vulnerabilities
None known

Ghost Update Security Vulnerabilities

No known vulnerabilities — this is a good sign.
Version History

Ghost Update Release Timeline

v1.2.2Current
v1.1.0
v1.0.0
Code Analysis
Analyzed Apr 16, 2026

Ghost Update Code Analysis

Dangerous Functions
0
Raw SQL Queries
0
2 prepared
Unescaped Output
0
20 escaped
Nonce Checks
4
Capability Checks
1
File Operations
4
External Requests
2
Bundled Libraries
0

SQL Query Safety

100% prepared2 total queries

Output Escaping

100% escaped20 total outputs
Data Flows · Security
All sanitized

Data Flow Analysis

2 flows
ghostupdate_settings_page (includes/admin-ui.php:10)
Source (user input) Sink (dangerous op) Sanitizer Transform Unsanitized Sanitized
Attack Surface

Ghost Update Attack Surface

Entry Points1
Unprotected0

AJAX Handlers 1

authwp_ajax_ghostupdate_feedback_dismiss_noticeincludes/class-ghost-update-feedback-banner.php:25
WordPress Hooks 8
filterupload_mimesincludes/admin-ui.php:5
actionadmin_menuincludes/admin-ui.php:240
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsincludes/admin-ui.php:250
actionadmin_noticesincludes/class-ghost-update-feedback-banner.php:23
actionadmin_footerincludes/class-ghost-update-feedback-banner.php:24
filtercron_schedulesincludes/scheduler.php:5
actionghostupdate_run_cronincludes/scheduler.php:15
actionghostupdate_force_batchincludes/scheduler.php:19

Scheduled Events 4

ghostupdate_run_cron
ghostupdate_run_cron
ghostupdate_force_batch
ghostupdate_force_batch
Maintenance & Trust

Ghost Update Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested6.9.4
Last updatedJan 27, 2026
PHP min version7.2
Downloads550

Community Trust

Rating0/100
Number of ratings0
Active installs0
Developer Profile

Ghost Update Developer Profile

CaphLabs

7 plugins · 170 total installs

93
trust score
Avg Security Score
99/100
Avg Patch Time
30 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Ghost Update

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

Asset Fingerprints

Asset Paths
/wp-content/plugins/ghost-update/assets/css/admin.css/wp-content/plugins/ghost-update/assets/js/admin.js
Script Paths
/wp-content/plugins/ghost-update/assets/js/admin.js
Version Parameters
ghost-update/assets/css/admin.css?ver=ghost-update/assets/js/admin.js?ver=

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

CSS Classes
ghost-update-settings
HTML Comments
<!-- Includes admin-specific UI and AJAX handlers --><!-- Admin-only includes<!-- Includes admin-specific UI and AJAX handlers --><!-- Core includes (front-end safe)+5 more
Data Attributes
data-ghostupdate-log-leveldata-ghostupdate-log-filedata-ghostupdate-nonce
JS Globals
ghostUpdateAdmin
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Ghost Update