RankAI Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/rankai

AI-SEO optimizer that helps content rank on search engines and get cited by AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude.

0 active installs v2.0.0 PHP 7.4+ WP 5.7+ Updated Mar 7, 2026
ai-citationai-seoopen-graphschemaseo
100
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
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Safety Verdict

Is RankAI Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 100/100

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

No known CVEs Updated 27d ago
Risk Assessment

The 'rankai' v2.0.0 plugin exhibits a generally good security posture based on the provided static analysis. A significant majority of SQL queries utilize prepared statements (92%), and output escaping is also robust at 94%. The presence of nonce checks (9) and capability checks (16) further indicates an effort to implement fundamental WordPress security practices. The absence of any known vulnerabilities in its history is a strong positive indicator.

However, the taint analysis reveals a critical concern. All 5 identified taint flows are of high severity and originate from unsanitized paths. This means that user-supplied input is likely being processed in a way that could lead to predictable exploits, despite the overall good practices observed elsewhere. The presence of file operations and external HTTP requests, while not inherently insecure, become more risky when coupled with these unsanitized taint flows.

In conclusion, while 'rankai' v2.0.0 demonstrates commendable adherence to many WordPress security best practices, the high-severity taint flows represent a significant weakness that requires immediate attention. The lack of historical vulnerabilities is encouraging, but the current taint analysis suggests a potential for undiscovered issues. Addressing these unsanitized paths should be the top priority to mitigate the identified risks.

Key Concerns

  • High severity taint flows from unsanitized paths
Vulnerabilities
None known

RankAI Security Vulnerabilities

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

RankAI Code Analysis

Dangerous Functions
0
Raw SQL Queries
2
22 prepared
Unescaped Output
12
184 escaped
Nonce Checks
9
Capability Checks
16
File Operations
1
External Requests
1
Bundled Libraries
0

SQL Query Safety

92% prepared24 total queries

Output Escaping

94% escaped196 total outputs
Data Flows
5 unsanitized

Data Flow Analysis

7 flows5 with unsanitized paths
<class-rankai-bulk-edit> (admin\class-rankai-bulk-edit.php:0)
Source (user input) Sink (dangerous op) Sanitizer Transform Unsanitized Sanitized
Attack Surface

RankAI Attack Surface

Entry Points6
Unprotected0

AJAX Handlers 6

authwp_ajax_rankai_bulk_save_rowadmin\class-rankai-bulk-edit.php:13
authwp_ajax_rankai_ping_nowadmin\class-rankai-settings.php:14
authwp_ajax_rankai_import_batchincludes\class-rankai-importer.php:11
authwp_ajax_rankai_import_countincludes\class-rankai-importer.php:12
authwp_ajax_rankai_analyze_scorerankai.php:63
noprivwp_ajax_rankai_analyze_scorerankai.php:64
WordPress Hooks 36
actionadmin_menuadmin\class-rankai-admin.php:9
filtermanage_posts_columnsadmin\class-rankai-admin.php:10
filtermanage_pages_columnsadmin\class-rankai-admin.php:11
actionmanage_posts_custom_columnadmin\class-rankai-admin.php:12
actionmanage_pages_custom_columnadmin\class-rankai-admin.php:13
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsadmin\class-rankai-admin.php:14
actionsave_postadmin\class-rankai-admin.php:15
actionadmin_initadmin\class-rankai-admin.php:16
actionadmin_menuadmin\class-rankai-bulk-edit.php:11
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsadmin\class-rankai-bulk-edit.php:12
actionadmin_menuadmin\class-rankai-keyphrase-tracker.php:11
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsadmin\class-rankai-keyphrase-tracker.php:12
actionadmin_menuadmin\class-rankai-settings.php:11
actionadmin_initadmin\class-rankai-settings.php:12
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsadmin\class-rankai-settings.php:13
actionadmin_post_rankai_add_redirectadmin\class-rankai-settings.php:15
actionadmin_post_rankai_delete_redirectadmin\class-rankai-settings.php:16
actionadmin_post_rankai_export_redirectsadmin\class-rankai-settings.php:17
actionwp_headincludes\class-rankai-frontend.php:13
filterpre_get_document_titleincludes\class-rankai-frontend.php:14
actionadd_meta_boxesincludes\class-rankai-metabox.php:9
actionsave_postincludes\class-rankai-metabox.php:10
actiontemplate_redirectincludes\class-rankai-redirects.php:15
actionpost_updatedincludes\class-rankai-redirects.php:16
actionwp_headincludes\class-rankai-schema.php:13
actioninitincludes\class-rankai-sitemap.php:11
actiontemplate_redirectincludes\class-rankai-sitemap.php:12
actionsave_postincludes\class-rankai-sitemap.php:13
actiondelete_postincludes\class-rankai-sitemap.php:14
actionrankai_ping_search_enginesincludes\class-rankai-sitemap.php:15
actionsave_postincludes\class-rankai-sitemap.php:16
filterrobots_txtincludes\class-rankai-sitemap.php:17
actionwp_headincludes\class-rankai-woocommerce.php:13
actionwp_headincludes\class-rankai-woocommerce.php:14
filterrankai_post_types_for_metaboxincludes\class-rankai-woocommerce.php:15
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsrankai.php:62

Scheduled Events 1

rankai_ping_search_engines
Maintenance & Trust

RankAI Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested6.9.4
Last updatedMar 7, 2026
PHP min version7.4
Downloads324

Community Trust

Rating0/100
Number of ratings0
Active installs0
Developer Profile

RankAI Developer Profile

Kunal Parihar

1 plugin · 0 total installs

94
trust score
Avg Security Score
100/100
Avg Patch Time
30 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect RankAI

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

Asset Fingerprints

Asset Paths
/wp-content/plugins/rankai/assets/css/admin.css/wp-content/plugins/rankai/assets/js/admin.js
Script Paths
/wp-content/plugins/rankai/assets/js/admin.js
Version Parameters
rankai/assets/css/admin.css?ver=rankai/assets/js/admin.js?ver=

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

CSS Classes
rankai-score-column
Data Attributes
data-scoredata-post-id
JS Globals
rankaiScore
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about RankAI