Recent Comments Widget with Excerpts Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/recent-comments-widget-with-excerpts

Duplicates the built-in Recent Comments widget and adds functionality to display comment excerpts instead of post titles

50 active installs v1.0.0 PHP + WP 2.8+ Updated Sep 6, 2023
comment-excerptsdefault-widgetsrecent-comment-excerptsrecent-commentsrecent-comments-widget
85
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Recent Comments Widget with Excerpts Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 85/100

Recent Comments Widget with Excerpts has no known CVEs and is actively maintained. It's a solid choice for most WordPress installations.

No known CVEs Updated 2yr ago
Risk Assessment

The static analysis of "recent-comments-widget-with-excerpts" v1.0.0 reveals a generally strong security posture. The plugin exhibits no known vulnerabilities (CVEs) and no critical or high-severity findings in the taint analysis. The complete absence of dangerous functions, SQL injection risks (all queries are prepared), and external HTTP requests is commendable. Furthermore, the reported 91% output escaping is a good practice, minimizing the risk of cross-site scripting vulnerabilities.

However, there are a couple of areas that warrant attention for future improvement. The lack of any capability checks or nonce checks, combined with zero entry points identified in the static analysis, suggests that the plugin might not have complex interactive features that require robust authorization. While this contributes to a clean slate in the current analysis, it could imply limited functionality or a future risk if the plugin evolves to include more dynamic user interactions without implementing these crucial security controls. The absence of any recorded vulnerabilities in its history is a positive indicator, suggesting a history of secure development, but vigilance should be maintained.

Overall, "recent-comments-widget-with-excerpts" v1.0.0 appears to be a secure plugin based on the provided data. Its strengths lie in its clean code regarding dangerous functions, SQL, and external requests. The primary area for potential concern is the absence of capability and nonce checks, which, while not an immediate vulnerability given the current analysis, could become a risk if the plugin's functionality expands. The consistent lack of vulnerabilities is a strong positive.

Key Concerns

  • Missing capability checks
  • Missing nonce checks
  • Output escaping (potential minor risk)
Vulnerabilities
None known

Recent Comments Widget with Excerpts Security Vulnerabilities

No known vulnerabilities — this is a good sign.
Code Analysis
Analyzed Mar 16, 2026

Recent Comments Widget with Excerpts Code Analysis

Dangerous Functions
0
Raw SQL Queries
0
0 prepared
Unescaped Output
3
29 escaped
Nonce Checks
0
Capability Checks
0
File Operations
0
External Requests
0
Bundled Libraries
0

Output Escaping

91% escaped32 total outputs
Attack Surface

Recent Comments Widget with Excerpts Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 3
actioncomment_postrecent_comments_widget_with_excerpts.php:37
actiontransition_comment_statusrecent_comments_widget_with_excerpts.php:38
actionwidgets_initrecent_comments_widget_with_excerpts.php:174
Maintenance & Trust

Recent Comments Widget with Excerpts Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested6.3.0
Last updatedSep 6, 2023
PHP min version
Downloads5K

Community Trust

Rating0/100
Number of ratings0
Active installs50
Developer Profile

Recent Comments Widget with Excerpts Developer Profile

Corey Salzano

11 plugins · 7K total installs

94
trust score
Avg Security Score
91/100
Avg Patch Time
1 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Recent Comments Widget with Excerpts

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

Asset Fingerprints

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

CSS Classes
recentcomments
Data Attributes
id="recentcomments"
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Recent Comments Widget with Excerpts