Just Writing Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/just-writing

Adds buttons and features to the Distraction Free Writing Mode for all kinds of extra functions.

300 active installs v4.0 PHP + WP 3.5.0+ Updated Jan 18, 2025
admin-posts-writing-dfw
92
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Just Writing Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 92/100

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

No known CVEs Updated 1yr ago
Risk Assessment

The 'just-writing' v4.0 plugin exhibits a generally good security posture based on the provided static analysis. The absence of known CVEs and a clean vulnerability history suggest a commitment to security by the developers. Furthermore, the analysis reveals a commendable lack of critical or high-severity taint flows, a small attack surface with no unprotected entry points, and a reasonable number of capability checks for its operations. This indicates that for its core functionality, the plugin appears to be designed with security in mind.

However, several areas present significant concerns that could lead to vulnerabilities. The most prominent issue is the complete lack of prepared statements for all eight SQL queries. This is a major security risk, as it leaves the plugin highly susceptible to SQL injection attacks. Additionally, the extremely low rate of proper output escaping (4% out of 597 outputs) is deeply concerning. Unescaped output can lead to various client-side vulnerabilities, including Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). The presence of bundled libraries, while not explicitly stated as outdated, always carries a potential risk if not regularly maintained.

In conclusion, while 'just-writing' v4.0 benefits from a clean vulnerability history and a limited attack surface, the critical issues with SQL query preparation and output escaping represent significant security weaknesses that must be addressed. These findings overshadow the otherwise positive aspects of the analysis, demanding immediate attention from developers to mitigate potential exploitation.

Key Concerns

  • All SQL queries lack prepared statements
  • Very low percentage of properly escaped output
  • Bundled libraries present (potential for outdated components)
Vulnerabilities
None known

Just Writing Security Vulnerabilities

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

Just Writing Code Analysis

Dangerous Functions
0
Raw SQL Queries
8
0 prepared
Unescaped Output
572
25 escaped
Nonce Checks
0
Capability Checks
48
File Operations
3
External Requests
0
Bundled Libraries
1

Bundled Libraries

TinyMCE

SQL Query Safety

0% prepared8 total queries

Output Escaping

4% escaped597 total outputs
Data Flows
All sanitized

Data Flow Analysis

8 flows
JustWritingEditorPage (4.1\just-writing-editor.4.1.php:3)
Source (user input) Sink (dangerous op) Sanitizer Transform Unsanitized Sanitized
Attack Surface

Just Writing Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 37
filterwp_fullscreen_buttons3.5\just-writing.3.5.php:124
filterwp_fullscreen_buttons3.9\just-writing.3.9.php:124
actionedit_form_after_title4.1\just-writing-editor.4.1.php:237
filterwp_fullscreen_buttons4.1\just-writing.4.1.php:114
filteratd_load_scripts4.1\just-writing.4.1.php:351
actioninit4.1\just-writing.4.1.php:367
filtermce_external_plugins4.1\just-writing.4.1.php:370
filtermce_buttons4.1\just-writing.4.1.php:371
actionedit_form_after_title4.3\just-writing-editor.4.3.php:240
filterwp_fullscreen_buttons4.3\just-writing.4.3.php:114
filteratd_load_scripts4.3\just-writing.4.3.php:351
actioninit4.3\just-writing.4.3.php:367
filtermce_external_plugins4.3\just-writing.4.3.php:370
filtermce_buttons4.3\just-writing.4.3.php:371
actionedit_form_after_title4.5\just-writing-editor.4.5.php:244
filterwp_fullscreen_buttons4.5\just-writing.4.5.php:114
filteratd_load_scripts4.5\just-writing.4.5.php:351
actioninit4.5\just-writing.4.5.php:367
filtermce_external_plugins4.5\just-writing.4.5.php:370
filtermce_buttons4.5\just-writing.4.5.php:371
actionedit_form_after_title5.7\just-writing-editor.5.7.php:246
filterwp_fullscreen_buttons5.7\just-writing.5.7.php:113
filteratd_load_scripts5.7\just-writing.5.7.php:350
actioninit5.7\just-writing.5.7.php:366
filtermce_external_plugins5.7\just-writing.5.7.php:369
filtermce_buttons5.7\just-writing.5.7.php:370
actioninitjust-writing.php:40
actionadmin_menujust-writing.php:107
actionadmin_head-post-new.phpjust-writing.php:113
actionadmin_head-post.phpjust-writing.php:114
actionshow_user_profilejust-writing.php:117
actionedit_user_profilejust-writing.php:118
actionpersonal_options_updatejust-writing.php:119
actionedit_user_profile_updatejust-writing.php:120
filterpost_row_actionsjust-writing.php:123
filterpage_row_actionsjust-writing.php:124
actionadmin_menujust-writing.php:127
Maintenance & Trust

Just Writing Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested6.7.5
Last updatedJan 18, 2025
PHP min version
Downloads25K

Community Trust

Rating100/100
Number of ratings14
Active installs300
Alternatives

Just Writing Alternatives

No alternatives data available yet.

Developer Profile

Just Writing Developer Profile

Greg Ross

34 plugins · 8K total installs

80
trust score
Avg Security Score
88/100
Avg Patch Time
39 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Just Writing

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

Asset Fingerprints

Asset Paths
/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/3.5/just-writing-editor.3.5.css/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/3.5/just-writing-editor.3.5.js/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/3.5/just-writing.3.5.css/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/3.5/just-writing.3.5.js/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/3.9/just-writing-editor.3.9.css/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/3.9/just-writing-editor.3.9.js/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/3.9/just-writing.3.9.css/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/3.9/just-writing.3.9.js+17 more
Script Paths
/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/3.5/just-writing-editor.3.5.js/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/3.5/just-writing.3.5.js/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/3.9/just-writing-editor.3.9.js/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/3.9/just-writing.3.9.js/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/4.1/just-writing-editor.4.1.js/wp-content/plugins/just-writing/4.1/just-writing.4.1.js+6 more
Version Parameters
ver=4.0ver=3.5ver=3.9ver=4.1ver=4.3ver=4.5ver=5.7

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

HTML Comments
<!-- Start Just Writing --><!-- End Just Writing -->
Data Attributes
data-just-writing-enableddata-just-writing-bolddata-just-writing-italicsdata-just-writing-uldata-just-writing-nldata-just-writing-quotes+19 more
JS Globals
window.JustWriting_EditPost_Optionswindow.JustWriting_EditPost_FormatButtonswindow.JustWriting_EditPost_Buttonswindow.JustWriting_EditPostwindow.JustWriting_Editor_Optionswindow.JustWriting_Editor_FormatButtons+2 more
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Just Writing