Pretty Debug Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/pretty-debug

A WordPress plugin that makes var_dump and print_r pretty!

10 active installs v1.0 PHP + WP 3.5+ Updated Jul 12, 2013
debugdebuggingvar_dump
85
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Pretty Debug Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 85/100

Pretty Debug 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 'pretty-debug' v1.0 plugin exhibits a generally positive security posture with no known vulnerabilities and a small attack surface. The static analysis shows no unprotected entry points like AJAX handlers, REST API routes, or shortcodes. Furthermore, SQL queries are exclusively performed using prepared statements, which is a strong security practice. However, the analysis does flag the presence of the `unserialize` function, which is inherently risky if used with untrusted input. While taint analysis found no unsanitized flows, the potential for deserialization vulnerabilities remains a concern, especially since there are no observed capability checks or nonce checks in place for the plugin's operations, which could otherwise mitigate such risks. The plugin also has a moderate rate of proper output escaping (50%), indicating a potential for reflected cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in the unescaped outputs.

Key Concerns

  • Presence of unserialize function
  • 50% of outputs not properly escaped
  • No nonce checks
  • No capability checks
Vulnerabilities
None known

Pretty Debug Security Vulnerabilities

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

Pretty Debug Code Analysis

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

Dangerous Functions Found

unserialize&& (($unserialized = @unserialize($subject)) !== false);php-ref\ref.php:1742

SQL Query Safety

100% prepared2 total queries

Output Escaping

50% escaped4 total outputs
Attack Surface

Pretty Debug Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 1
actionwp_enqueue_scriptspretty-debug.php:49
Maintenance & Trust

Pretty Debug Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested3.5.2
Last updatedJul 12, 2013
PHP min version
Downloads2K

Community Trust

Rating100/100
Number of ratings1
Active installs10
Developer Profile

Pretty Debug Developer Profile

wycks

5 plugins · 530 total installs

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

How We Detect Pretty Debug

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

Asset Fingerprints

Asset Paths
/wp-content/plugins/pretty-debug/php-ref/ref.js/wp-content/plugins/pretty-debug/php-ref/ref.css/wp-content/plugins/pretty-debug/override.css
Script Paths
/wp-content/plugins/pretty-debug/php-ref/ref.js

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Pretty Debug