Password Change Notification Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/password-change-notification

A WordPress plugin for sending users an email notification when their password changes

10 active installs v1.0b2 PHP + WP 2.7+ Updated Dec 21, 2013
changeemailnotificationpassword
85
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Password Change Notification Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 85/100

Password Change Notification has no known CVEs and is actively maintained. It's a solid choice for most WordPress installations.

No known CVEs Updated 12yr ago
Risk Assessment

The "password-change-notification" plugin v1.0b2 exhibits a strong security posture based on the provided static analysis. There are no identified entry points like AJAX handlers, REST API routes, or shortcodes that are exposed without authentication or permission checks. The code also demonstrates good practices by exclusively using prepared statements for SQL queries and avoiding risky operations such as file modifications or external HTTP requests. The absence of dangerous functions and critical taint flows further bolsters its security profile.

However, a significant concern arises from the limited output escaping. With only 20% of identified output properly escaped, there is a substantial risk of cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities if user-supplied data is directly rendered in the frontend without adequate sanitization. The complete lack of nonce checks and capability checks, while not immediately exploitable due to the zero attack surface, indicates a potential weakness if the plugin were to expand its functionality or if new entry points were introduced in the future without corresponding security measures. The plugin's history of zero vulnerabilities is a positive indicator, but it does not negate the current code-level risks.

In conclusion, while the plugin demonstrates a commendable effort in avoiding common security pitfalls and has a clean vulnerability history, the unescaped output represents a clear and present danger. Addressing this output sanitization issue should be the top priority to mitigate XSS risks. The absence of comprehensive checks like nonces and capabilities, though not currently exploitable, suggests a need for more robust security implementation if the plugin evolves.

Key Concerns

  • Unescaped output detected
  • Missing nonce checks
  • Missing capability checks
Vulnerabilities
None known

Password Change Notification Security Vulnerabilities

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

Password Change Notification Code Analysis

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

Output Escaping

20% escaped5 total outputs
Attack Surface

Password Change Notification Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 3
actionprofile_updatepassword-change-notification.php:22
actionshow_user_profilepassword-change-notification.php:25
actionedit_user_profilepassword-change-notification.php:26
Maintenance & Trust

Password Change Notification Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested3.7.41
Last updatedDec 21, 2013
PHP min version
Downloads2K

Community Trust

Rating0/100
Number of ratings0
Active installs10
Developer Profile

Password Change Notification Developer Profile

Simon Fransson

2 plugins · 20 total installs

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

How We Detect Password Change Notification

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

Asset Fingerprints

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

Data Attributes
name="pwcn_password_change_notification"id="pwcn_password_change_notification"
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Password Change Notification