Parentless Categories Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/parentless-categories

Provides a template tag like the_category() to list categories assigned to a post except those that have a child category also assigned to the post.

10 active installs v2.3.1 PHP + WP 4.6+ Updated Apr 21, 2025
categoriescategorycoffee2codelistthe_category
92
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Parentless Categories Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 92/100

Parentless Categories 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 parentless-categories v2.3.1 plugin exhibits an excellent security posture based on the provided static analysis and vulnerability history. There are no identified attack surface entry points, dangerous functions, or SQL queries that are not using prepared statements. The code also demonstrates strong output escaping practices, ensuring that any data displayed to users is properly sanitized, mitigating the risk of cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the absence of file operations and external HTTP requests reduces the potential for code injection or compromise through these vectors.

The vulnerability history further reinforces this positive assessment, with zero recorded CVEs of any severity. This indicates a consistent track record of secure development and a lack of previously exploited weaknesses. The absence of any recorded vulnerabilities suggests that the developers have a strong understanding of WordPress security best practices and have successfully implemented them in this plugin.

In conclusion, parentless-categories v2.3.1 appears to be a highly secure plugin. The comprehensive lack of identified risks in the static analysis and the clean vulnerability history are strong indicators of a well-developed and secure codebase. There are no discernible weaknesses or concerns based on the provided data, making it a low-risk plugin for WordPress installations.

Vulnerabilities
None known

Parentless Categories Security Vulnerabilities

No known vulnerabilities — this is a good sign.
Version History

Parentless Categories Release Timeline

v2.3.1Current
v2.3
v2.2.1
v2.2
v2.1.5
v2.1.4
v2.1.3
v2.1.2
v2.1.1
v2.1
v2.0.5
v2.0.4
v2.0.3
v2.0.2
v2.0.1
v2.0
v1.1.5
v1.1.4
v1.1.3
v1.1.2
Code Analysis
Analyzed Mar 16, 2026

Parentless Categories Code Analysis

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

Output Escaping

100% escaped6 total outputs
Attack Surface

Parentless Categories Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 3
actionc2c_parentless_categoriesparentless-categories.php:65
filterc2c_get_parentless_categories_listparentless-categories.php:161
filterc2c_get_parentless_categoriesparentless-categories.php:230
Maintenance & Trust

Parentless Categories Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested6.8.5
Last updatedApr 21, 2025
PHP min version
Downloads6K

Community Trust

Rating0/100
Number of ratings0
Active installs10
Developer Profile

Parentless Categories Developer Profile

Scott Reilly

63 plugins · 92K total installs

71
trust score
Avg Security Score
88/100
Avg Patch Time
374 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Parentless Categories

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

Asset Fingerprints

Asset Paths
/wp-content/plugins/parentless-categories/style.css
Version Parameters
parentless-categories/style.css?ver=parentless-categories.php?ver=

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

CSS Classes
post-categories
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Parentless Categories