Parse Markdown Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/parse-markdown

Integrate Markdown into WordPress. Simple, no configuration-required, standards-driven plugin allowing commenters to use Markdown in their comments.

30 active installs v1.0.1 PHP 7.1+ WP 5.2+ Updated Aug 19, 2020
codemarkdown
85
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Parse Markdown Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 85/100

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

No known CVEs Updated 5yr ago
Risk Assessment

Based on the provided static analysis and vulnerability history, the "parse-markdown" plugin v1.0.1 exhibits a strong security posture. The absence of any identified attack surface points (AJAX handlers, REST API routes, shortcodes, cron events) significantly limits the potential for external manipulation. Furthermore, the code analysis reveals a lack of dangerous functions, 100% adherence to prepared statements for SQL queries, and complete output escaping, all indicating robust secure coding practices. The plugin also demonstrates a clean vulnerability history with no recorded CVEs, suggesting a commitment to security by the developers or a lack of exploitable flaws discovered to date.

While the plugin appears highly secure, the complete absence of nonce checks and capability checks, coupled with zero identified taint flows or file operations, could be interpreted in two ways. It might mean the plugin is so simple that these checks are genuinely not required, or it could indicate a potential blind spot if the plugin's functionality were to evolve or interact with user-supplied data in more complex ways. However, given the current data, the overall security is excellent, with no immediate or documented risks present. The lack of complexity, dangerous functions, and untrusted input handling are significant strengths.

Vulnerabilities
None known

Parse Markdown Security Vulnerabilities

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

Parse Markdown Release Timeline

v1.0.1Current
v1.0.0
Code Analysis
Analyzed Mar 16, 2026

Parse Markdown Code Analysis

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

Parse Markdown Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 1
filtercomment_textparse-markdown.php:40
Maintenance & Trust

Parse Markdown Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested5.5.18
Last updatedAug 19, 2020
PHP min version7.1
Downloads1K

Community Trust

Rating0/100
Number of ratings0
Active installs30
Developer Profile

Parse Markdown Developer Profile

Ben Marshall

5 plugins · 20K total installs

70
trust score
Avg Security Score
87/100
Avg Patch Time
913 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Parse Markdown

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

Asset Fingerprints

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Parse Markdown