Plugin Name: Modify Author URL Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/modify-author-url

Allows administrators to modify a users author url from their profile page.

10 active installs v1.0 PHP + WP 3.0.1+ Updated Feb 23, 2011
authorslugurl
85
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
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Safety Verdict

Is Plugin Name: Modify Author URL Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 85/100

Plugin Name: Modify Author URL has no known CVEs and is actively maintained. It's a solid choice for most WordPress installations.

No known CVEs Updated 15yr ago
Risk Assessment

The "modify-author-url" plugin v1.0 exhibits a mixed security posture. While it has a very small attack surface and no known historical vulnerabilities, the static analysis reveals critical weaknesses. A significant concern is the presence of the `unserialize` function, which is notoriously dangerous when used with untrusted input, and the taint analysis indicates two flows with unsanitized paths that are rated as high severity. Furthermore, 100% of the plugin's output is not properly escaped, posing a risk of Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities. The absence of nonce checks on its zero AJAX handlers is also a point of concern, though currently, there are no AJAX handlers to exploit.

The plugin's lack of historical vulnerabilities is a positive indicator, suggesting good coding practices in the past. However, the current code analysis highlights a concerning reliance on potentially unsafe functions and a failure to properly escape output. The presence of `unserialize` coupled with unsanitized taint flows are the most pressing issues. While the attack surface is currently minimal and there are no known CVEs, the identified code signals warrant attention to prevent future exploitation.

Key Concerns

  • Dangerous function unserialize used
  • High severity unsanitized taint flows
  • 0% output properly escaped
  • No nonce checks on AJAX handlers
Vulnerabilities
None known

Plugin Name: Modify Author URL Security Vulnerabilities

No known vulnerabilities — this is a good sign.
Code Analysis
Analyzed Mar 17, 2026

Plugin Name: Modify Author URL Code Analysis

Dangerous Functions
1
Raw SQL Queries
0
4 prepared
Unescaped Output
4
0 escaped
Nonce Checks
0
Capability Checks
2
File Operations
0
External Requests
0
Bundled Libraries
0

Dangerous Functions Found

unserialize$author_urls = unserialize($author_urls[0]);classes\authorurl.class.php:52

SQL Query Safety

100% prepared4 total queries

Output Escaping

0% escaped4 total outputs
Data Flows
2 unsanitized

Data Flow Analysis

2 flows2 with unsanitized paths
profile_author_url_save (classes\authorurl.class.php:57)
Source (user input) Sink (dangerous op) Sanitizer Transform Unsanitized Sanitized
Attack Surface

Plugin Name: Modify Author URL Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 7
actionadmin_initauthorurl.php:15
actionshow_user_profileclasses\authorurl.class.php:14
actionedit_user_profileclasses\authorurl.class.php:15
actionedit_user_profile_updateclasses\authorurl.class.php:17
actionpersonal_options_updateclasses\authorurl.class.php:18
actionadmin_headclasses\authorurl.class.php:20
actionadmin_noticesclasses\authorurl.class.php:27
Maintenance & Trust

Plugin Name: Modify Author URL Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested3.1.4
Last updatedFeb 23, 2011
PHP min version
Downloads2K

Community Trust

Rating0/100
Number of ratings0
Active installs10
Developer Profile

Plugin Name: Modify Author URL Developer Profile

Jared Harbour

3 plugins · 30 total installs

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

How We Detect Plugin Name: Modify Author URL

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

Asset Fingerprints

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

CSS Classes
wh-pl-warning
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Plugin Name: Modify Author URL