Meta Box Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/meta-box

Meta Box plugin is a powerful, professional developer toolkit to create custom meta boxes and custom fields for your custom post types in WordPress.

500K active installs v5.11.2 PHP 7.1+ WP 6.5+ Updated Mar 5, 2026
custom-fieldscustom-post-typescustom-taxonomiesmeta-boxpost-type
89
A · Safe
CVEs total6
Unpatched0
Last CVEMar 6, 2026
Safety Verdict

Is Meta Box Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 89/100

Meta Box has a strong security track record. Known vulnerabilities have been patched promptly.

6 known CVEsLast CVE: Mar 6, 2026Updated 1mo ago
Risk Assessment

The static analysis of Meta Box v5.11.2 indicates a generally strong security posture with excellent adherence to secure coding practices. The plugin demonstrates a high level of output escaping (99%) and utilizes prepared statements for all SQL queries. The presence of nonce and capability checks on a majority of its entry points (all 11 are protected) further enhances its security. The absence of dangerous functions, critical or high severity taint flows, and unsanitized paths is highly encouraging.

However, the vulnerability history presents a significant concern. With 6 known CVEs, including 3 high and 3 medium severity vulnerabilities, this plugin has a concerning track record. The types of past vulnerabilities, such as Path Traversal, Exposure of Sensitive Information, Cross-site Scripting, Missing Authorization, and External Control of File Name or Path, suggest recurring issues with input validation and authorization, even though current analysis shows these are addressed. The last reported vulnerability was in March 2026, which is in the future, suggesting potential data entry error or a forward-looking vulnerability reporting system; assuming this is a past event, the plugin has a history of critical security flaws.

In conclusion, while the current version of Meta Box v5.11.2 exhibits strong secure coding practices and a clean static analysis, its past vulnerability history necessitates caution. Users should remain vigilant and ensure they are always running the latest patched versions, as the plugin has demonstrated a tendency for exploitable security flaws in the past. The success in addressing past issues is positive, but the sheer number and severity of historical vulnerabilities cannot be overlooked.

Key Concerns

  • History of high severity vulnerabilities
  • History of medium severity vulnerabilities
  • Bundled library Select2 (potential outdated component)
Vulnerabilities
6

Meta Box Security Vulnerabilities

CVEs by Year

2 CVEs in 2019
2019
3 CVEs in 2024
2024
1 CVE in 2026
2026
Patched Has unpatched

Severity Breakdown

High
3
Medium
3

6 total CVEs

CVE-2025-14675high · 7.2Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')

Meta Box <= 5.11.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Arbitrary File Deletion

Mar 6, 2026 Patched in 5.11.2 (1d)
CVE-2024-43235medium · 4.3Missing Authorization

Meta Box – WordPress Custom Fields Framework <= 5.9.10 - Missing Authorization to Information Exposure

Aug 9, 2024 Patched in 5.9.11 (5d)
CVE-2024-1204medium · 4.3Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

Meta Box – WordPress Custom Fields Framework <= 5.9.3 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Information Exposure via Post Meta

Mar 25, 2024 Patched in 5.9.4 (30d)
CVE-2023-6526medium · 6.4Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

Meta Box – WordPress Custom Fields Framework <= 5.9.2 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting

Feb 5, 2024 Patched in 5.9.3 (176d)
CVE-2019-14793high · 8.1Missing Authorization

Meta Box - WordPress Custom Fields Framework <= 4.16.2 - File Deletion via attachment_id Parameter

Feb 2, 2019 Patched in 4.16.3 (1816d)
CVE-2019-14794high · 7.5External Control of File Name or Path

Meta Box <= 4.16.1 - Mishandling of File Upload

Feb 1, 2019 Patched in 4.16.2 (1817d)
Code Analysis
Analyzed Mar 16, 2026

Meta Box Code Analysis

Dangerous Functions
0
Raw SQL Queries
0
2 prepared
Unescaped Output
2
171 escaped
Nonce Checks
9
Capability Checks
5
File Operations
5
External Requests
1
Bundled Libraries
1

Bundled Libraries

Select2

SQL Query Safety

100% prepared2 total queries

Output Escaping

99% escaped173 total outputs
Attack Surface

Meta Box Attack Surface

Entry Points11
Unprotected0

AJAX Handlers 10

authwp_ajax_rwmb_delete_fileinc\fields\file.php:23
authwp_ajax_rwmb_get_embedinc\fields\oembed.php:37
authwp_ajax_rwmb_get_postsinc\fields\post.php:9
noprivwp_ajax_rwmb_get_postsinc\fields\post.php:10
authwp_ajax_rwmb_get_termsinc\fields\taxonomy.php:9
noprivwp_ajax_rwmb_get_termsinc\fields\taxonomy.php:10
authwp_ajax_rwmb_get_usersinc\fields\user.php:9
noprivwp_ajax_rwmb_get_usersinc\fields\user.php:10
authwp_ajax_mb_dashboard_plugin_actionsrc\Dashboard\Dashboard.php:46
authwp_ajax_mb_dashboard_feedsrc\Dashboard\Dashboard.php:49

Shortcodes 1

[rwmb_meta] inc\shortcode.php:6
WordPress Hooks 38
filterplugin_action_links_meta-box/meta-box.phpinc\core.php:4
actioninitinc\core.php:7
actionedit_page_forminc\core.php:8
filtershould_load_block_editor_scripts_and_stylesinc\fields\block-editor.php:51
actionpost_edit_form_taginc\fields\file.php:22
filterupload_dirinc\fields\file.php:487
filterposts_searchinc\fields\post.php:131
actionclean_user_cacheinc\fields\user.php:11
actioninitinc\media-modal.php:15
filterattachment_fields_to_editinc\media-modal.php:17
filterattachment_fields_to_saveinc\media-modal.php:18
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsinc\meta-box.php:80
actionadd_meta_boxesinc\meta-box.php:101
filterdefault_hidden_meta_boxesinc\meta-box.php:104
actionedit_attachmentinc\meta-box.php:111
actionadd_attachmentinc\meta-box.php:112
filterrwmb_sanitizeinc\sanitizer.php:7
actionrwmb_afterinc\validation.php:7
actionrwmb_enqueue_scriptsinc\validation.php:8
filterplugin_action_links_meta-box/meta-box.phpsrc\Dashboard\Dashboard.php:33
actionadmin_menusrc\Dashboard\Dashboard.php:36
actionadmin_menusrc\Dashboard\Dashboard.php:37
actionadmin_headsrc\Dashboard\Dashboard.php:40
actionactivated_pluginsrc\Dashboard\Dashboard.php:43
filterplugins_api_resultsrc\FeaturedPlugins.php:6
filterblock_categories_allsrc\Integrations\Block.php:6
filterbricks/builder/i18nsrc\Integrations\Bricks.php:6
actionelementor/elements/categories_registeredsrc\Integrations\Elementor.php:6
actionoxygen_add_plus_sectionssrc\Integrations\Oxygen.php:7
actioninitsrc\Integrations\WPML.php:14
filterwpml_duplicate_generic_stringsrc\Integrations\WPML.php:21
filterrwmb_normalize_fieldsrc\Integrations\WPML.php:22
filterrwmb_get_valuesrc\Integrations\WPML.php:25
filter_rwmb_post_format_single_valuesrc\Integrations\WPML.php:26
actioninitsrc\Updater\Checker.php:15
filterpre_set_site_transient_update_pluginssrc\Updater\Checker.php:20
filterplugins_apisrc\Updater\Checker.php:21
filterrwmb_admin_menusrc\Updater\Settings.php:28
Maintenance & Trust

Meta Box Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested6.9.4
Last updatedMar 5, 2026
PHP min version7.1
Downloads23.1M

Community Trust

Rating96/100
Number of ratings162
Active installs500K
Developer Profile

Meta Box Developer Profile

Meta Box

2 plugins · 500K total installs

76
trust score
Avg Security Score
95/100
Avg Patch Time
641 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Meta Box

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

Asset Fingerprints

Asset Paths
/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/css/color.css/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/css/file-input.css/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/css/select.css/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/css/wysiwyg.css/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/css/slider.css/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/css/datetime.css/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/css/number.css/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/css/range.css+94 more
Script Paths
/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/js/color.js/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/js/file-input.js/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/js/select.js/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/js/wysiwyg.js/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/js/slider.js/wp-content/plugins/meta-box/js/datetime.js+95 more
Version Parameters
meta-box/css/color.css?ver=meta-box/css/file-input.css?ver=meta-box/css/select.css?ver=meta-box/css/wysiwyg.css?ver=meta-box/css/slider.css?ver=meta-box/css/datetime.css?ver=meta-box/css/number.css?ver=meta-box/css/range.css?ver=meta-box/css/button-group.css?ver=meta-box/css/checkbox-list.css?ver=meta-box/css/radio-list.css?ver=meta-box/css/table.css?ver=meta-box/css/map.css?ver=meta-box/css/single-image.css?ver=meta-box/css/single-file.css?ver=meta-box/css/image-upload.css?ver=meta-box/css/text.css?ver=meta-box/css/textarea.css?ver=meta-box/css/email.css?ver=meta-box/css/url.css?ver=meta-box/css/password.css?ver=meta-box/css/hidden.css?ver=meta-box/css/wysiwyg.css?ver=meta-box/css/date.css?ver=meta-box/css/time.css?ver=meta-box/css/datetime.css?ver=meta-box/css/user.css?ver=meta-box/css/post.css?ver=meta-box/css/taxonomy.css?ver=meta-box/css/term.css?ver=meta-box/css/sidebar-id.css?ver=meta-box/css/sidebar-name.css?ver=meta-box/css/media-id.css?ver=meta-box/css/media-url.css?ver=meta-box/css/media-image.css?ver=meta-box/css/media-gallery.css?ver=meta-box/css/oembed.css?ver=meta-box/css/switch.css?ver=meta-box/css/custom-html.css?ver=meta-box/css/html.css?ver=meta-box/css/divider.css?ver=meta-box/css/heading.css?ver=meta-box/css/fieldset.css?ver=meta-box/css/group.css?ver=meta-box/css/clone.css?ver=meta-box/css/tab.css?ver=meta-box/css/accordion.css?ver=meta-box/css/tab.css?ver=meta-box/css/group.css?ver=meta-box/css/autocomplete.css?ver=meta-box/css/background.css?ver=meta-box/css/image-choices.css?ver=meta-box/css/map.css?ver=meta-box/css/textarea.css?ver=meta-box/css/select.css?ver=meta-box/css/custom-css.css?ver=meta-box/css/wysiwyg.css?ver=meta-box/css/clone.css?ver=meta-box/css/group.css?ver=meta-box/css/hidden.css?ver=meta-box/css/text.css?ver=meta-box/css/textarea.css?ver=meta-box/css/email.css?ver=meta-box/css/url.css?ver=meta-box/css/password.css?ver=meta-box/css/number.css?ver=meta-box/css/range.css?ver=meta-box/css/slider.css?ver=meta-box/css/button-group.css?ver=meta-box/css/checkbox-list.css?ver=meta-box/css/radio-list.css?ver=meta-box/css/select.css?ver=meta-box/css/multiselect.css?ver=meta-box/css/date.css?ver=meta-box/css/time.css?ver=meta-box/css/datetime.css?ver=meta-box/css/user.css?ver=meta-box/css/post.css?ver=meta-box/css/taxonomy.css?ver=meta-box/css/term.css?ver=meta-box/css/sidebar-id.css?ver=meta-box/css/sidebar-name.css?ver=meta-box/css/media-id.css?ver=meta-box/css/media-url.css?ver=meta-box/css/media-image.css?ver=meta-box/css/media-gallery.css?ver=meta-box/css/oembed.css?ver=meta-box/css/switch.css?ver=meta-box/css/custom-html.css?ver=meta-box/css/html.css?ver=meta-box/css/divider.css?ver=meta-box/css/heading.css?ver=meta-box/css/fieldset.css?ver=meta-box/css/group.css?ver=meta-box/css/clone.css?ver=meta-box/css/tab.css?ver=meta-box/css/accordion.css?ver=meta-box/js/color.js?ver=meta-box/js/file-input.js?ver=meta-box/js/select.js?ver=meta-box/js/wysiwyg.js?ver=meta-box/js/slider.js?ver=meta-box/js/datetime.js?ver=meta-box/js/number.js?ver=meta-box/js/range.js?ver=meta-box/js/button-group.js?ver=meta-box/js/checkbox-list.js?ver=meta-box/js/radio-list.js?ver=meta-box/js/table.js?ver=meta-box/js/map.js?ver=meta-box/js/single-image.js?ver=meta-box/js/single-file.js?ver=meta-box/js/image-upload.js?ver=meta-box/js/text.js?ver=meta-box/js/textarea.js?ver=meta-box/js/email.js?ver=meta-box/js/url.js?ver=meta-box/js/password.js?ver=meta-box/js/hidden.js?ver=meta-box/js/wysiwyg.js?ver=meta-box/js/date.js?ver=meta-box/js/time.js?ver=meta-box/js/datetime.js?ver=meta-box/js/user.js?ver=meta-box/js/post.js?ver=meta-box/js/taxonomy.js?ver=meta-box/js/term.js?ver=meta-box/js/sidebar-id.js?ver=meta-box/js/sidebar-name.js?ver=meta-box/js/media-id.js?ver=meta-box/js/media-url.js?ver=meta-box/js/media-image.js?ver=meta-box/js/media-gallery.js?ver=meta-box/js/oembed.js?ver=meta-box/js/switch.js?ver=meta-box/js/custom-html.js?ver=meta-box/js/html.js?ver=meta-box/js/divider.js?ver=meta-box/js/heading.js?ver=meta-box/js/fieldset.js?ver=meta-box/js/group.js?ver=meta-box/js/clone.js?ver=meta-box/js/tab.js?ver=meta-box/js/accordion.js?ver=meta-box/js/tab.js?ver=meta-box/js/group.js?ver=meta-box/js/autocomplete.js?ver=meta-box/js/background.js?ver=meta-box/js/image-choices.js?ver=meta-box/js/map.js?ver=meta-box/js/textarea.js?ver=meta-box/js/select.js?ver=meta-box/js/custom-css.js?ver=meta-box/js/wysiwyg.js?ver=meta-box/js/clone.js?ver=meta-box/js/group.js?ver=meta-box/js/hidden.js?ver=meta-box/js/text.js?ver=meta-box/js/textarea.js?ver=meta-box/js/email.js?ver=meta-box/js/url.js?ver=meta-box/js/password.js?ver=meta-box/js/number.js?ver=meta-box/js/range.js?ver=meta-box/js/slider.js?ver=meta-box/js/button-group.js?ver=meta-box/js/checkbox-list.js?ver=meta-box/js/radio-list.js?ver=meta-box/js/select.js?ver=meta-box/js/multiselect.js?ver=meta-box/js/date.js?ver=meta-box/js/time.js?ver=meta-box/js/datetime.js?ver=meta-box/js/user.js?ver=meta-box/js/post.js?ver=meta-box/js/taxonomy.js?ver=meta-box/js/term.js?ver=meta-box/js/sidebar-id.js?ver=meta-box/js/sidebar-name.js?ver=meta-box/js/media-id.js?ver=meta-box/js/media-url.js?ver=meta-box/js/media-image.js?ver=meta-box/js/media-gallery.js?ver=meta-box/js/oembed.js?ver=meta-box/js/switch.js?ver=meta-box/js/custom-html.js?ver=meta-box/js/html.js?ver=meta-box/js/divider.js?ver=meta-box/js/heading.js?ver=meta-box/js/fieldset.js?ver=meta-box/js/group.js?ver=meta-box/js/clone.js?ver=meta-box/js/tab.js?ver=meta-box/js/accordion.js?ver=meta-box/js/autocomplete.js?ver=meta-box/js/background.js?ver=meta-box/js/image-choices.js?ver=meta-box/js/map.js?ver=

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

CSS Classes
rwmb-autocomplete-searchrwmb-autocompleterwmb-autocomplete-resultsrwmb-autocomplete-resultrwmb-autocomplete-valuerwmb-background-row
HTML Comments
<!-- .rwmb-autocomplete-results --><!-- .rwmb-autocomplete-result --><!-- .rwmb-background-row -->
Data Attributes
data-options
JS Globals
RWMB_Autocomplete
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Meta Box