WP Section Index Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/wp-section-index

Create a table of contents in a widget for the current page or blog post, using headings from the content.

30 active installs v1.1.1 PHP + WP 2.9+ Updated Dec 20, 2010
linkson-page-navigationsection-indextable-of-contentswidget
85
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is WP Section Index Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 85/100

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

No known CVEs Updated 15yr ago
Risk Assessment

The wp-section-index plugin version 1.1.1 exhibits a strong security posture based on the provided static analysis. The absence of any detected AJAX handlers, REST API routes, shortcodes, or cron events significantly limits its attack surface. Furthermore, the code demonstrates good practices with a complete absence of dangerous functions, raw SQL queries, file operations, and external HTTP requests. The presence of nonce and capability checks indicates an effort to implement access controls.

However, a notable concern arises from the output escaping. With 27 total outputs and only 41% properly escaped, there is a substantial risk of cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities. While taint analysis found no issues, the low output escaping rate is a critical indicator of potential vulnerabilities that might not be caught by static flow analysis alone. The plugin's vulnerability history being entirely clear is positive, suggesting past development has been secure, but it does not mitigate the current risks identified in the code analysis.

In conclusion, while wp-section-index 1.1.1 has a minimal attack surface and avoids many common pitfalls, the significant portion of improperly escaped output presents a concrete and actionable security risk. This requires immediate attention to prevent potential XSS attacks. The plugin's strengths lie in its limited entry points and secure handling of sensitive operations, but its weakness in output sanitization is a significant concern.

Key Concerns

  • Low output escaping rate
Vulnerabilities
None known

WP Section Index Security Vulnerabilities

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

WP Section Index Code Analysis

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

Output Escaping

41% escaped27 total outputs
Attack Surface

WP Section Index Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 13
actiondbx_page_advancedclasses\wp_sectionindex.class.php:668
actiondbx_post_advancedclasses\wp_sectionindex.class.php:669
filterthe_contentwp-section-index.php:52
filterget_the_contentwp-section-index.php:53
filterthe_contentwp-section-index.php:54
filterget_the_contentwp-section-index.php:55
actionwidgets_initwp-section-index.php:58
actionadmin_menuwp-section-index.php:59
actionadmin_noticeswp-section-index.php:60
actionadmin_menuwp-section-index.php:61
actionsave_postwp-section-index.php:62
actioncontextual_helpwp-section-index.php:63
actioninitwp-section-index.php:64
Maintenance & Trust

WP Section Index Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested3.1.4
Last updatedDec 20, 2010
PHP min version
Downloads5K

Community Trust

Rating0/100
Number of ratings0
Active installs30
Developer Profile

WP Section Index Developer Profile

Matt Cohen

3 plugins · 50 total installs

84
trust score
Avg Security Score
85/100
Avg Patch Time
30 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect WP Section Index

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

Asset Fingerprints

Asset Paths
/wp-content/plugins/wp-section-index/css/section-index.css/wp-content/plugins/wp-section-index/js/section-index.js
Script Paths
/wp-content/plugins/wp-section-index/js/section-index.js
Version Parameters
wp-section-index/css/section-index.css?ver=wp-section-index/js/section-index.js?ver=

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

CSS Classes
sectionindex-widget
Data Attributes
id="sectionindex-widget"name="sectionindex-widget"id="wpsi_disable_index"
JS Globals
wpsi
Shortcode Output
[section_index][section-index]
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about WP Section Index