Prismatic Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/prismatic

Display beautiful syntax-highlighted code snippets with Prism.js or Highlight.js

2K active installs v3.7.4 PHP 5.6.20+ WP 4.7+ Updated Mar 11, 2026
codehighlightlanguagesnippetssyntax
99
A · Safe
CVEs total2
Unpatched0
Last CVEJun 21, 2021
Safety Verdict

Is Prismatic Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 99/100

Prismatic has a strong security track record. Known vulnerabilities have been patched promptly.

2 known CVEsLast CVE: Jun 21, 2021Updated 22d ago
Risk Assessment

The 'prismatic' v3.7.4 plugin exhibits a generally positive security posture with several good practices in place. The complete absence of SQL injection vulnerabilities due to the exclusive use of prepared statements and the presence of nonce and capability checks on entry points are strong indicators of secure coding. Furthermore, the lack of file operations and external HTTP requests limits potential attack vectors.

However, the static analysis reveals a significant concern regarding output escaping. With 37 outputs and only 35% properly escaped, there's a high likelihood of Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities. While no critical or high severity taint flows were detected, the presence of one flow with unsanitized paths, even if not currently categorized as critical, warrants attention. The plugin's history of two medium severity XSS vulnerabilities, the last one being in 2021, reinforces the ongoing risk in this area. Although these vulnerabilities are currently patched, the pattern suggests a recurring weakness that could be exploited in newer versions if not addressed diligently.

In conclusion, 'prismatic' v3.7.4 demonstrates strengths in critical areas like SQL security and authentication. Nevertheless, the substantial proportion of unescaped output and the historical trend of XSS vulnerabilities present a notable risk. Continued vigilance and improvement in output sanitization are crucial for maintaining a secure plugin.

Key Concerns

  • Insufficient output escaping
  • Unsanitized path taint flow detected
  • History of medium severity XSS vulnerabilities
Vulnerabilities
2

Prismatic Security Vulnerabilities

CVEs by Year

2 CVEs in 2021
2021
Patched Has unpatched

Severity Breakdown

Medium
2

2 total CVEs

CVE-2021-24409medium · 6.1Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

Prismatic <= 2.7 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting

Jun 21, 2021 Patched in 2.8 (946d)
CVE-2021-24408medium · 5.4Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')

Prismatic <= 2.7 - Stored Cross-Site Scripting

Jun 21, 2021 Patched in 2.8 (946d)
Code Analysis
Analyzed Mar 16, 2026

Prismatic Code Analysis

Dangerous Functions
0
Raw SQL Queries
0
0 prepared
Unescaped Output
24
13 escaped
Nonce Checks
2
Capability Checks
4
File Operations
0
External Requests
0
Bundled Libraries
0

Output Escaping

35% escaped37 total outputs
Data Flows
1 unsanitized

Data Flow Analysis

5 flows1 with unsanitized paths
prismatic_admin_notice (inc\settings-reset.php:5)
Source (user input) Sink (dangerous op) Sanitizer Transform Unsanitized Sanitized
Attack Surface

Prismatic Attack Surface

Entry Points1
Unprotected0

Shortcodes 1

[prismatic_code] prismatic.php:78
WordPress Hooks 39
filtermce_buttonsinc\prismatic-buttons.php:7
filtermce_external_pluginsinc\prismatic-buttons.php:8
filterthe_contentinc\prismatic-core.php:261
filterthe_contentinc\prismatic-core.php:262
filteracf/load_valueinc\prismatic-core.php:266
filteracf/load_valueinc\prismatic-core.php:267
filtercontent_save_preinc\prismatic-core.php:273
filtercontent_save_preinc\prismatic-core.php:274
filterthe_excerptinc\prismatic-core.php:280
filterthe_excerptinc\prismatic-core.php:281
filterexcerpt_save_preinc\prismatic-core.php:285
filterexcerpt_save_preinc\prismatic-core.php:286
filtercomment_textinc\prismatic-core.php:292
filtercomment_textinc\prismatic-core.php:293
filtercomment_save_preinc\prismatic-core.php:297
filtercomment_save_preinc\prismatic-core.php:298
actionadmin_print_footer_scriptsinc\resources-enqueue.php:192
actionadmin_print_footer_scriptsinc\resources-enqueue.php:249
actionadmin_initprismatic.php:54
actionadmin_initprismatic.php:55
actioninitprismatic.php:56
filterplugin_action_linksprismatic.php:57
filterplugin_row_metaprismatic.php:58
filteradmin_footer_textprismatic.php:59
actionwp_enqueue_scriptsprismatic.php:61
actionwp_enqueue_scriptsprismatic.php:62
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsprismatic.php:63
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsprismatic.php:64
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsprismatic.php:65
actionadmin_print_footer_scriptsprismatic.php:66
actionadmin_noticesprismatic.php:67
actionadmin_menuprismatic.php:68
actionadmin_initprismatic.php:69
actionadmin_initprismatic.php:70
actionadmin_initprismatic.php:71
actionadmin_initprismatic.php:72
actionadmin_initprismatic.php:73
actioninitprismatic.php:75
actioninitprismatic.php:76
Maintenance & Trust

Prismatic Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested7.0
Last updatedMar 11, 2026
PHP min version5.6.20
Downloads119K

Community Trust

Rating96/100
Number of ratings45
Active installs2K
Developer Profile

Prismatic Developer Profile

Jeff Starr

30 plugins · 1.2M total installs

78
trust score
Avg Security Score
98/100
Avg Patch Time
345 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Prismatic

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

Asset Fingerprints

Asset Paths
/wp-content/plugins/prismatic/assets/css/prismatic.css/wp-content/plugins/prismatic/assets/js/prism.js/wp-content/plugins/prismatic/assets/js/highlight.js/wp-content/plugins/prismatic/assets/js/prismatic.js/wp-content/plugins/prismatic/assets/css/themes/
Script Paths
/wp-content/plugins/prismatic/assets/js/prism.js/wp-content/plugins/prismatic/assets/js/highlight.js/wp-content/plugins/prismatic/assets/js/prismatic.js
Version Parameters
prismatic/assets/css/prismatic.css?ver=prismatic/assets/js/prism.js?ver=prismatic/assets/js/highlight.js?ver=prismatic/assets/js/prismatic.js?ver=

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

CSS Classes
prismatic-codeprismatic-code-wrapperprism-codelanguage-token
Data Attributes
data-prism-themedata-highlight-theme
JS Globals
Prismatic
Shortcode Output
[prismatic_code]
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Prismatic