WPScan – WordPress Security Scanner

Description

Please note: This plugin is no longer actively supported for non-enterprise customers. We recommend using Jetpack Protect – a free security plugin for WordPress that leverages the extensive database of WPScan. Jetpack Protect scans your site and warns you about vulnerabilities, keeping your site one step ahead of security threats and malware.

The WPScan WordPress security plugin is unique in that it uses its own manually curated WPScan WordPress Vulnerability Database. The vulnerability database has been around since 2014 and is updated on a daily basis by dedicated WordPress security specialists and the community at large. The database includes more than 21,000 known security vulnerabilities. The plugin uses this database to scan for WordPress vulnerabilities, plugin vulnerabilities and theme vulnerabilities, and has the options to schedule automated daily scans and to send email notifications.

WPScan has a Free API plan that should be suitable for most WordPress websites, however, also has paid plans for users who may need more API calls. To use the WPScan WordPress Security Plugin you will need to use a free API token by registering here.

The Free plan allows 25 API requests per day. View the different available API plans.

How many API requests do you need?

• Our WordPress scanner makes one API request for the WordPress version, one request per installed plugin and one request per installed theme.
• On average, a WordPress website has 22 installed plugins.
• The Free plan should cover around 50% of all WordPress websites.

Security Checks

The WPScan WordPress Security Plugin will also check for other security issues, which do not require an API token, such as:

• Check for debug.log files
• Check for wp-config.php backup files
• Check if XML-RPC is enabled
• Check for code repository files
• Check if default secret keys are used
• Check for exported database files
• Weak passwords
• HTTPS enabled

What does the plugin do?

• Scans for known WordPress vulnerabilities, plugin vulnerabilities and theme vulnerabilities;
• Does additional security checks;
• Shows an icon on the Admin Toolbar with the total number of security vulnerabilities found;
• Notifies you by mail when new security vulnerabilities are found.

Further Reading

• WPScan WordPress Vulnerability Database
• WPScan WordPress Security Scanner
• WPScan Twitter

Screenshots

Installation

1. Upload wpscan.zip content to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
3. Register for a free API token
4. Save the API token to the WPScan settings page or within the wp-config.php file

FAQ

How many API calls are made?

There is one API call made for the WordPress version, one call for each installed plugin and one for each theme. By default there is one scan per day. The number of daily scans can be configured when configuring notifications.

How can I configure the API token in the wp-config.php file?

To configure your API token in the wp-config.php file, use the following PHP code: define( 'WPSCAN_API_TOKEN', '$your_api_token' );

How do I disable vulnerability scanning altogether?

You can set the following PHP constant in the wp-config.php file to disable scanning; define( 'WPSCAN_DISABLE_SCANNING_INTERVAL', true );.

Why is the “Summary” section and the “Run All” button not showing?

The cron job did not run, which can be due to:
– The DISABLE_WP_CRON constant is set to true in the wp-config.php file, but no system cron has been set (crontab -e).
– A plugin’s caching pages is enabled (see https://wordpress.stackexchange.com/questions/93570/wp-cron-doesnt-execute-when-time-elapses?answertab=active#tab-top).
– The blog is unable to make a loopback request, see the Tools->Site Health for details.

If the issue can not be solved with the above, putting define('ALTERNATE_WP_CRON', true); in the wp-config.php could help, however, will reduce the SEO of the blog.

Reviews

Garbage now

tripflex August 30, 2023

complete garbage now, used to be amazing now they basically force you to use jetpack. No replies trying to get enterprise license, another great product (used to be) that automattic has killed and used just for leads to jetpack

Good but lacking info

Dan March 10, 2023

There’s an issue that keeps appearing but no information about why or what to do about it.

Jetpack Protect is not an alternative

wpgerd January 31, 2023 3 replies

In the past this was a very good way to check, if you have vulnerable Plugins/Themes, but with Jetpack you didn’t get notifications, only if you pay the expensive plans ;-(There are other plugins, which do it better!

Don’t waste time creating account…

quadeg September 7, 2022

…if you dont’t intend to pay for a sub, the plugin lies saying that you need a free api to use it. Maybe the api is free but you need a subscription to access it. The plugin is useless if you don’t subscribe. Use the tool’s website for a rather useless partial report.

Apparent false flag about http versus https

Hans Konings April 25, 2022

I doubt that I will get me a paid subscription to this otherwise interesting plugin, because it keeps sending me email alerts with this warning: “Security check Website HTTPS The website does not seem to be using HTTPS (SSL/TLS) encryption for communications.” When I check for http:/ in the database or anywhere else on the site, nothing is found. When I run WPScan manually, it says everything is fine. All my browsers also indicate that https is functioning. Why does WPSCan insist on sending me these alerts? I would like to see a log about where WPScan found this error.

Very Useful

Jan March 1, 2022

Very useful especially if you use many plugins that are not professionally supported.

Contributors & Developers

Changelog

1.16

• Allow report to be POST-ed to webhook URL or downloaded as JSON.

1.15.7

• Fix the way the plugin handles extension versions to be more accurate.

1.15.6

• Added a notice pointing regular users to Jetpack Protect

1.15.5

• Update “Tested up to”
• Some minor text changes
• Fix API conflict

1.15.4

• Fix images not loading on some hosted websites
• Update remediation links

1.15.3

• Fix fatal error in security checks

1.15.2

• Improve HTML and PDF report output
• Disable security checks setting
• Some refactoring

1.15.1

• Improved email alert text
• Improved PDF report download layout

1.15

• Fix memory_limit when using list_files()
• Use Action Scheduler
• Add security check remediation links

1.14.4

• Use new free API defaults
• Remove “Not found in database” message

1.14.3

• Don’t use HTTP_HOST in db exports check

1.14.2

• Revert DISABLE_WP_CRON check
• Fix HTTPS check

1.14.1

• Use the wp_check_password() function to check for weak passwords

1.14

• Uses the status endpoint to get account data
• Fixes the account status not being updated unless a scan is performed when the API token is updated/set
• Adds vulnerability found hook
• New security check: Check for weak user passwords
• New security check: HTTPS
• Clear plan info if API Token set to null
• Fixes automated scanning when plugin deactivated and reactivated
• Fixes cron job not being created when using the WPSCAN_API_TOKEN constant
• Change default scanning time to the current time
• Many other small improvements

1.13.2

• Fix XML-RPC check false positive

1.13.1

• Fix potential WP_Error issue in XML-RPC check
• Add version to client side CSS and JS
• Work towards PHP WordPress coding standards

1.13

• Improve the XML-RPC security check
• No longer run a scan when adding an API token
• Other small improvements & bug fixes

1.12.3

• Improve WPScan API error handling
• Add status URL on WPScan API errors
• Delete doing_cron transient on plugin activation
• Replace the xmlrpc_encode_request() PHP function
• Blur API token setting input box

1.12.2

• Fix bug: case statement should ‘break’

1.12.1

• Fix bug: Handle 404 API errors

1.12

• Code Refactoring
• Adds Security Check System
• Check for debug.log files
• Check for wp-config.php backups
• Check if XMLRPC is enabled
• Check if default keys are used in wp-config.php
• Check for code repo files .svn and .git
• Create a Vulnerabilities to Ignore meta-box
• Fixes Theme closed incorrect message and position in report
• Show message if API is not working
• Timeout cron jobs
• Fix 404 error in devtools

1.11

• Change references of wpvulndb to wpscan.com

1.10

• Add WPSCAN_DISABLE_SCANNING_INTERVAL constant to disable automated scanning
• Add an option in the settings to ignore items
• Add an option in the settings to set the scan time
• Show a not found in database message
• Other minor bug fixes

1.9

• Add scanning interval option to settings page
• Some other small improvements

1.8

• Show severity ratings for Enterprise users
• Show Plugin Closed label
• Add PDF report download
• Add account status meta box
• Add support for API token constant in wp-config.php file
• Show vulnerabilities in Site Health
• Update menu icon to monochrome

1.7

• Updated text and messages to reduce confusion
• Removed WPScan_JWT class as no longer required

1.6

• Use the new slug helper method on all items on the page

1.5

• Better slug detection before calling the API

1.4

• Prevent multiple tasks to run simultaneously
• Check Now Button disabled and Spinner icon displayed when a task is already running
• Results page automatically reloaded when Task is finished (checked every 10s)

1.3

• Use the /status API endpoint to determine if the Token is valid. As a result, a call is no longer consumed when setting/changing the API token.
• Trim and remove potential leading ‘v’ in versions when comparing then with the fixed_in values.

1.2

• Add notice about paid licenses

1.1

• Warn if API Limit was hit

1.0

• First release.