
SimpLy Gallery Security & Risk Analysis
wordpress.org/plugins/simply-gallery-blockCreate responsive photo, image, video, and mixed media galleries for WordPress with gallery blocks, albums, sliders, and a built-in lightbox.
Is SimpLy Gallery Safe to Use in 2026?
Generally Safe
Score 89/100SimpLy Gallery has a strong security track record. Known vulnerabilities have been patched promptly. It's a solid choice for most WordPress installations.
The "simply-gallery-block" plugin v3.3.2.3 presents a mixed security posture. On the positive side, the static analysis indicates a strong adherence to good security practices with all identified entry points (AJAX handlers, shortcodes) appearing to have proper authorization and nonce checks. The plugin also demonstrates excellent practices regarding SQL queries, exclusively using prepared statements, and a high percentage of output escaping. Furthermore, there are no critical or high severity issues identified in the taint analysis, and no unpatched vulnerabilities in its history.
However, several areas raise concern. The presence of a "Dangerous function" (preg_replace(/e)) warrants attention, as this can be a common vector for code injection if not handled with extreme care. While no unsanitized paths were found in the taint analysis, the historical vulnerability data reveals a significant pattern of medium severity issues, primarily related to Missing Authorization and Cross-site Scripting (XSS). The plugin has a history of 7 known CVEs, all of which are currently patched. The recurrence of these vulnerability types, even if patched, suggests potential areas in the codebase that require ongoing vigilance and rigorous code review.
In conclusion, while the current version shows good immediate security controls and no critical flaws, the historical trend of medium severity vulnerabilities, particularly XSS and authorization bypass, combined with the use of a potentially dangerous function, indicates that users should remain aware. The plugin's strengths lie in its SQL and output escaping practices, but past issues suggest a need for continued security auditing and development attention to prevent recurrence of past vulnerability types.
Key Concerns
- Dangerous function: preg_replace(/e)
- Bundled library: Freemius v1.0 (potentially outdated)
- History of 7 CVEs (medium severity)
- Common vulnerability types: Missing Auth, XSS
SimpLy Gallery Security Vulnerabilities
CVEs by Year
Severity Breakdown
9 total CVEs
Mixed Media Gallery Blocks <= 3.3.3.1 - Authenticated (Author+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via sliderMaxHeight Block Attribute
Mixed Media Gallery Blocks <= 3.3.2 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Remote Code Execution
Gallery Blocks with Lightbox <= 3.3.0 - Missing Authorization to Authenticated (Contributor+) Plugin Settings Modification
SimpLy Gallery <= 3.3.2.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Gallery Blocks with Lightbox <= 3.2.5 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Gallery Blocks with Lightbox. Image Gallery, (HTML5 video , YouTube, Vimeo) Video Gallery and Lightbox for native gallery <= 3.2.4.2 - Authenticated (Editor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting
Gallery Blocks with Lightbox. Image Gallery, (HTML5 video , YouTube, Vimeo) Video Gallery and Lightbox for native gallery <= 3.2.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via galleryID and className Parameters
Gallery Blocks with Lightbox <= 3.0.7 - Missing Authorization in pgc_sgb_action_wizard
Gallery Blocks with Lightbox <= 2.2.0 - Authenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting
SimpLy Gallery Release Timeline
SimpLy Gallery Code Analysis
Dangerous Functions Found
Bundled Libraries
Output Escaping
Data Flow Analysis
SimpLy Gallery Attack Surface
AJAX Handlers 1
Shortcodes 2
WordPress Hooks 32
Maintenance & Trust
SimpLy Gallery Maintenance & Trust
Maintenance Signals
Community Trust
SimpLy Gallery Alternatives
Album Gallery for Photo & Video
new-album-gallery
An easy-to-use album gallery for Photo & Video display. Works seamlessly with Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Page Builder.
FolioBlocks
folioblocks
Create fast, responsive photo and video galleries with grid, masonry, justified, modular, and carousel layouts—ideal for photographers and creatives.
Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More
envira-gallery-lite
The fastest drag & drop photo gallery plugin. Create stunning image galleries, albums, video galleries & lightbox displays in minutes — no coding!
Gallery by Visual Portfolio
visual-portfolio
Build photo galleries, image galleries, and portfolio grids with gallery blocks. Masonry, lightbox, sliders, and filters included.
Album Gallery for Flickr
flickr-album-gallery
Display Flickr albums on WordPress with lightbox preview and shortcode integration. Refactored for standard repository compliance.
SimpLy Gallery Developer Profile
1 plugin · 40K total installs
How We Detect SimpLy Gallery
Patterns used to identify this plugin on WordPress sites during automated security audits and web crawling.
Asset Fingerprints
/wp-content/plugins/simply-gallery-block/assets/css/frontend.css/wp-content/plugins/simply-gallery-block/assets/css/lightbox.css/wp-content/plugins/simply-gallery-block/assets/js/frontend.js/wp-content/plugins/simply-gallery-block/assets/js/lightbox.js/wp-content/plugins/simply-gallery-block/blocks/skins/default.js/wp-content/plugins/simply-gallery-block/blocks/skins/overlay.js/wp-content/plugins/simply-gallery-block/blocks/skins/slide.js/wp-content/plugins/simply-gallery-block/freemius/start.php/wp-content/plugins/simply-gallery-block/assets/js/frontend.js/wp-content/plugins/simply-gallery-block/assets/js/lightbox.jssimply-gallery-block/assets/css/frontend.css?ver=simply-gallery-block/assets/css/lightbox.css?ver=simply-gallery-block/assets/js/frontend.js?ver=simply-gallery-block/assets/js/lightbox.js?ver=simply-gallery-block/blocks/skins/default.js?ver=simply-gallery-block/blocks/skins/overlay.js?ver=simply-gallery-block/blocks/skins/slide.js?ver=HTML / DOM Fingerprints
pgc-simply-gallery-blockpgc-sgb-gallery-wrapperpgc-sgb-image-wrapperpgc-sgb-gallery-itempgc-sgb-lightboxpgc-sgb-lightbox-contentpgc-sgb-lightbox-closepgc-sgb-lightbox-prev+4 more<!-- SimpLy Gallery Block --><!-- SimpLy Gallery Block & Lightbox -->data-pgc-sgb-gallery-iddata-pgc-sgb-item-iddata-pgc-sgb-lightbox-contentdata-pgc-sgb-lightbox-closedata-pgc-sgb-lightbox-prevdata-pgc-sgb-lightbox-nextpgc_sgb_frontend_datapgc_sgb_lightbox_settingspgc_sgb_skins_listpgc_sgb_skins_presets/wp-json/pgc-simply-gallery-block/v1/settings