
Manual Cron Security & Risk Analysis
wordpress.org/plugins/manual-cronTriggers WP-cron from a Dashboard widget and displays output.
Is Manual Cron Safe to Use in 2026?
Generally Safe
Score 85/100Manual Cron has no known CVEs and is actively maintained. It's a solid choice for most WordPress installations.
The "manual-cron" v1.0.1 plugin exhibits an exceptionally clean static analysis profile, with no identified entry points, dangerous functions, raw SQL queries, file operations, or external HTTP requests. The absence of any recorded CVEs further bolsters its security reputation. This indicates a strong adherence to secure coding practices regarding direct input handling and data manipulation within the analyzed scope.
However, the complete lack of any identified code signals, including nonce checks, capability checks, and output escaping, while seemingly positive on the surface, also raises a subtle concern. It suggests that the plugin might not perform any actions that would necessitate these security measures. If the plugin's functionality is indeed so minimal, its security is inherently high due to its limited scope. Conversely, if it performs operations that *should* be secured by these mechanisms but are not explicitly coded as such, this absence could represent a hidden risk or a lack of defensive programming.
Given the available data, the plugin appears to be very secure. The vulnerability history is clean, and the static analysis reveals no immediate threats. The primary consideration is the potential for unobserved functionality that might benefit from explicit security checks, but based solely on the provided data, the risk is extremely low.
Manual Cron Security Vulnerabilities
Manual Cron Code Analysis
Manual Cron Attack Surface
WordPress Hooks 1
Maintenance & Trust
Manual Cron Maintenance & Trust
Maintenance Signals
Community Trust
Manual Cron Alternatives
WP-Cron Control
wp-cron-control
This plugin allows you to take control over the execution of cron jobs.
WP Cron Cleaner
wp-cron-cleaner
View all your cron scheduled tasks, then clean what you want.
Easycron
easycron
Utilize EasyCron's API to configure a cron job that will trigger WordPress's cron script (wp-cron.php) periodically.
FastCron – Run WP Cron for free
fastcron
This plugin will set up a free cronjob at FastCron to run your wp-cron.php file automatically. Completely free, no registration required.
WP Cron per Action
wp-cron-per-action
Ensures that wp-cron.php is loaded per executing action to avoid exceeding the PHP's maximum execution time.
Manual Cron Developer Profile
8 plugins · 4K total installs
How We Detect Manual Cron
Patterns used to identify this plugin on WordPress sites during automated security audits and web crawling.
Asset Fingerprints
/wp-content/plugins/manual-cron/js/admin.js/wp-content/plugins/manual-cron/js/admin.jsmanual-cron/js/admin.js?ver=1.0.0HTML / DOM Fingerprints
manual-cronMANCRON<button id="manual-cron" class="button button-primary">Run now</button>
<div id="manual-cron-output" style="margin-top: 8px;"></div>