Third Column Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/third-column

Adds a third column on the Edit Post screen.

30 active installs v2.0 PHP + WP 3.8+ Updated Jul 10, 2014
adminedit
85
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Third Column Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 85/100

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

No known CVEs Updated 11yr ago
Risk Assessment

Based on the provided static analysis and vulnerability history, the "third-column" plugin v2.0 appears to have a strong security posture. The absence of dangerous functions, raw SQL queries, unescaped outputs, file operations, external HTTP requests, and a complete lack of identified taint flows with unsanitized paths are all positive indicators. Furthermore, the plugin has no known CVEs, suggesting a history of secure development or effective patching.

However, a significant concern arises from the complete absence of any capability checks, nonce checks, or explicit authentication checks on all identified entry points. While the attack surface is currently reported as zero, this lack of security controls implies that if any new entry points were introduced, or if the initial assessment of the attack surface was incomplete, there would be no built-in protection against unauthorized access or malicious input. This could become a critical weakness if the plugin's functionality ever evolves to handle sensitive data or operations.

In conclusion, while the plugin demonstrates good development practices by avoiding common vulnerabilities, the complete lack of any explicit access control mechanisms presents a latent risk. The current lack of vulnerabilities is encouraging, but it's crucial to acknowledge that a security-by-obscurity approach is not sustainable. Future development should prioritize implementing appropriate capability and nonce checks to ensure robust security, even if the current attack surface is minimal.

Key Concerns

  • No capability checks implemented
  • No nonce checks implemented
Vulnerabilities
None known

Third Column Security Vulnerabilities

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

Third Column Code Analysis

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

Third Column Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 6
actiondbx_post_advancedthird-column.php:34
actionadmin_enqueue_scriptsthird-column.php:39
actionedit_form_topthird-column.php:42
actionedit_form_after_titlethird-column.php:43
actionedit_form_after_editorthird-column.php:44
actiondbx_post_sidebarthird-column.php:45
Maintenance & Trust

Third Column Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested3.9.40
Last updatedJul 10, 2014
PHP min version
Downloads3K

Community Trust

Rating100/100
Number of ratings2
Active installs30
Developer Profile

Third Column Developer Profile

Marcus Downing

12 plugins · 440 total installs

84
trust score
Avg Security Score
86/100
Avg Patch Time
30 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Third Column

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

Asset Fingerprints

Asset Paths
/wp-content/plugins/third-column/admin.css/wp-content/plugins/third-column/scripts/third-column.js
Script Paths
/wp-content/plugins/third-column/scripts/third-column.js
Version Parameters
third-column/admin.css?ver=third-column/scripts/third-column.js?ver=

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

CSS Classes
postbox-containerpostbox-subcols
JS Globals
tagBox
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Third Column