Instant CSS Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/instant-css

Write your styles beautifully with the power of Visual Studio Code

4K active installs v1.2.2 PHP + WP + Updated Sep 21, 2023
csscustom-csspostcsssassscss
84
B · Generally Safe
CVEs total2
Unpatched0
Last CVESep 29, 2023
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Safety Verdict

Is Instant CSS Safe to Use in 2026?

Mostly Safe

Score 84/100

Instant CSS is generally safe to use though it hasn't been updated recently. 2 past CVEs were resolved. Keep it updated.

2 known CVEsLast CVE: Sep 29, 2023Updated 2yr ago
Risk Assessment

The "instant-css" plugin exhibits a concerning security posture due to a significant number of unprotected AJAX handlers, representing a large attack surface. While the plugin demonstrates good practices regarding SQL queries by exclusively using prepared statements and has no unpatched known vulnerabilities, the complete lack of output escaping on all identified outputs is a major weakness. This indicates a high risk of Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities being present, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts into the user's browser.

The taint analysis shows a concerning number of flows with unsanitized paths, although none reached critical or high severity. This, combined with the vulnerability history showing past medium severity Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) and Missing Authorization vulnerabilities, suggests a recurring pattern of insecure handling of user-supplied data and insufficient access control. The plugin's last known vulnerability was recent, further emphasizing the need for careful review and patching.

In conclusion, while the plugin has some strengths like secure SQL handling and no currently unpatched vulnerabilities, the prevalent lack of output escaping and a substantial unprotected AJAX attack surface are critical issues that significantly elevate the risk. The history of authorization and CSRF vulnerabilities further points to potential systemic weaknesses that require immediate attention to improve the plugin's overall security.

Key Concerns

  • 8 unprotected AJAX handlers
  • 0% output escaping
  • 4 flows with unsanitized paths
  • 2 medium severity CVEs in history
  • Missing authorization in vulnerability history
  • CSRF in vulnerability history
Vulnerabilities
2

Instant CSS Security Vulnerabilities

CVEs by Year

2 CVEs in 2023
2023
Patched Has unpatched

Severity Breakdown

Medium
2

2 total CVEs

CVE-2023-44243medium · 4.3Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

Instant CSS <= 1.2.1 - Cross-Site Request Forgery

Sep 29, 2023 Patched in 1.2.2 (116d)
CVE-2023-38483medium · 5.3Missing Authorization

Instant CSS <= 1.1.4 - Missing Authorization via AJAX Actions

Jul 24, 2023 Patched in 1.1.5 (183d)
Code Analysis
Analyzed Mar 16, 2026

Instant CSS Code Analysis

Dangerous Functions
0
Raw SQL Queries
0
0 prepared
Unescaped Output
7
0 escaped
Nonce Checks
1
Capability Checks
1
File Operations
2
External Requests
0
Bundled Libraries
0

Output Escaping

0% escaped7 total outputs
Data Flows
4 unsanitized

Data Flow Analysis

5 flows4 with unsanitized paths
icss_ajax_save_css (classes\class.instantcss_ajax.php:48)
Source (user input) Sink (dangerous op) Sanitizer Transform Unsanitized Sanitized
Attack Surface
8 unprotected

Instant CSS Attack Surface

Entry Points8
Unprotected8

AJAX Handlers 8

authwp_ajax_icss_save_cssclasses\class.instantcss_ajax.php:11
authwp_ajax_icss_get_cssclasses\class.instantcss_ajax.php:12
authwp_ajax_icss_save_themeclasses\class.instantcss_ajax.php:14
authwp_ajax_icss_get_themeclasses\class.instantcss_ajax.php:15
authwp_ajax_icss_save_preprocessorclasses\class.instantcss_ajax.php:17
authwp_ajax_icss_get_preprocessorclasses\class.instantcss_ajax.php:18
authwp_ajax_icss_save_minifyclasses\class.instantcss_ajax.php:20
authwp_ajax_icss_get_minifyclasses\class.instantcss_ajax.php:21
WordPress Hooks 7
actionadmin_menuclasses\class.instantcss.php:14
actionadmin_menuclasses\class.instantcss.php:15
actioninitclasses\class.instantcss.php:28
actionwp_enqueue_scriptsclasses\class.instantcss.php:131
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsclasses\class.instantcss.php:162
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsclasses\class.instantcss.php:179
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsclasses\class.instantcss.php:180
Maintenance & Trust

Instant CSS Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested6.3.8
Last updatedSep 21, 2023
PHP min version
Downloads15K

Community Trust

Rating98/100
Number of ratings15
Active installs4K
Developer Profile

Instant CSS Developer Profile

dylanblokhuis

1 plugin · 4K total installs

68
trust score
Avg Security Score
84/100
Avg Patch Time
150 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Instant CSS

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

Asset Fingerprints

Asset Paths
/wp-content/plugins/instant-css/assets/css/style.css/wp-content/plugins/instant-css/assets/css/customizer.css
Script Paths
/wp-content/plugins/instant-css/assets/dist/main.bundle.js
Version Parameters
plugins/instant-css/assets/css/style.css?ver=plugins/instant-css/assets/dist/main.bundle.js?ver=plugins/instant-css/assets/css/customizer.css?ver=

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

Data Attributes
data-prefix="fas"data-icon="code"
JS Globals
wordpress.plugins_urlwordpress.ajax_urlwordpress.is_customizerwordpress.nonce
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Instant CSS