Imposter Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/imposter

Allows administrators to take on the role of another user for development, testing and troubleshooting purposes without knowing the users password.

10 active installs v0.1 PHP + WP 3.0+ Updated Feb 27, 2012
adminauthenticationuser
85
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Imposter Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 85/100

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

No known CVEs Updated 14yr ago
Risk Assessment

The "imposter" plugin v0.1 exhibits a generally strong security posture based on the provided static analysis, with no identified vulnerabilities in its known history. Notably, the plugin demonstrates excellent practices regarding SQL queries, using prepared statements exclusively, and all output is properly escaped, indicating a good understanding of common web application vulnerabilities. The absence of file operations and external HTTP requests further limits the potential for certain types of exploits. The plugin also correctly enforces capability checks, which is a crucial security measure.

However, a significant concern arises from the presence of the `create_function` dangerous function. While the attack surface appears to be zero, the use of `create_function` can be a vector for remote code execution if not handled with extreme care, especially if any user-supplied input could influence its execution. The lack of any identified taint flows is positive but doesn't entirely negate the inherent risk of `create_function`. Given the plugin's early version and lack of historical issues, the absence of nonce checks and limited attack surface are positive signs, but the `create_function` remains a point of caution. Overall, it's a promising start, but the `create_function` needs thorough scrutiny and ideally remediation to eliminate the risk.

Key Concerns

  • Dangerous function detected: create_function
  • Missing nonce checks
Vulnerabilities
None known

Imposter Security Vulnerabilities

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

Imposter Code Analysis

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

Dangerous Functions Found

create_functionadd_action('init', create_function('', 'new DJG_Imposter;'));imposter.php:87
Attack Surface

Imposter Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 4
actionwp_logoutimposter.php:19
filtermanage_users_columnsimposter.php:25
actionmanage_users_custom_columnimposter.php:26
actioninitimposter.php:87
Maintenance & Trust

Imposter Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested3.3.2
Last updatedFeb 27, 2012
PHP min version
Downloads2K

Community Trust

Rating86/100
Number of ratings3
Active installs10
Developer Profile

Imposter Developer Profile

Damian Gostomski

2 plugins · 90 total installs

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

How We Detect Imposter

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 Imposter