WordPress Plugin Security in 2025: Evaluating and Monitoring Plugin Risks

In a single week in December 2025, security researchers disclosed 170 vulnerabilities affecting WordPress plugins and themes. This wasn’t an anomaly. According to Patchstack’s State of WordPress Security report, 96% of all WordPress vulnerabilities originate from plugins, with the total count reaching nearly 8,000 in 2024 alone.

For site administrators, these numbers highlight a critical gap: most security advice is reactive, focused on responding to breaches rather than preventing them. This article presents a proactive evaluation framework to help you assess plugin security before installation and maintain ongoing monitoring afterward.

The 2025 Plugin Security Landscape

The December 2025 vulnerability surge illustrates the scale of the challenge. Beyond the sheer volume, two actively exploited vulnerabilities demonstrate the real-world impact:

CVE-2025-8489 (King Addons for Elementor) allowed unauthenticated attackers to create administrator accounts. Wordfence blocked over 48,400 exploitation attempts, with mass attacks beginning November 9, 2025.

CVE-2025-13486 (Advanced Custom Fields Extended) enabled remote code execution without authentication, affecting over 100,000 sites.

Both vulnerabilities share a critical characteristic: they required no authentication to exploit. Patchstack reports that 57% of WordPress vulnerabilities fall into this category, meaning attackers can compromise sites without needing credentials.

The “zombie plugin” problem compounds the risk. Nearly 60% of WordPress plugins haven’t been updated in over two years. When these plugins contain vulnerabilities, patches may never arrive, leaving sites permanently exposed. Meanwhile, 46% of vulnerabilities disclosed during the final week of December 2025 remained unpatched at the time of disclosure.

A 5-Step Plugin Evaluation Framework

Before installing any plugin, work through these five evaluation steps to reduce your risk exposure.

Step 1: Verify the Source

Start by confirming where the plugin originates. Plugins in the WordPress.org repository undergo a basic review process before acceptance. While this doesn’t guarantee security, it establishes a baseline level of vetting.

Be cautious with plugins available only from third-party websites, particularly “nulled” or pirated premium plugins. These often contain backdoors intentionally inserted by redistributors. When evaluating premium plugins, verify they have an official presence on WordPress.org or a documented company website with clear contact information.

Step 2: Assess Developer Reputation

A plugin’s security often reflects its developer’s practices. Review the developer’s portfolio by checking their other plugins in the repository. Look for:

• Consistent update history across their plugins
• How they’ve responded to previously reported vulnerabilities
• Active engagement in support forums
• Clear documentation and changelog practices

Developers who promptly address security reports and maintain regular updates demonstrate security-conscious practices. Conversely, developers who ignore vulnerability reports or abandon plugins after initial release present higher risk.

Step 3: Analyze Update History

Check when the plugin was last updated. A reasonable threshold is activity within the past six months. Plugins with no updates for 12+ months should be evaluated carefully, particularly for security-sensitive functionality.

Beyond recency, examine the changelog quality. Security-conscious developers document security fixes clearly rather than burying them in generic “bug fix” entries. Verify the plugin has been tested with the current WordPress version, as compatibility issues can create unexpected vulnerabilities.

Step 4: Check Vulnerability Databases

Before installation, search for the plugin in public vulnerability databases:

• WPScan Vulnerability Database
• Patchstack Database
• Wordfence Intelligence

When reviewing results, consider both the vulnerability history and how quickly issues were patched. A plugin with past vulnerabilities that were promptly fixed may be lower risk than one with no reported history (which may simply indicate less security scrutiny). Pay attention to CVSS scores: anything rated 7.0 or higher (High/Critical) warrants careful consideration.

Step 5: Test in Staging First

Never install untested plugins directly on production sites. Create a staging environment that mirrors your production configuration, then:

1. Install the plugin and activate it
2. Test all core functionality
3. Monitor for unexpected behavior (new database tables, external connections, file modifications)
4. Check for conflicts with existing plugins
5. Review server logs for unusual activity

Only proceed to production after confirming stable, expected behavior in staging.

Ongoing Monitoring Strategy

Evaluation doesn’t end at installation. Establish ongoing monitoring practices to catch emerging vulnerabilities.

Set up vulnerability alerts. Most vulnerability databases offer notification services. Configure alerts for your installed plugins so you’re notified when new vulnerabilities are disclosed.

Conduct quarterly plugin audits. Review your installed plugins every three months. Remove plugins you no longer use, as inactive plugins still present attack surfaces. Verify remaining plugins are still receiving updates.

Manage updates strategically. Enable automatic updates for plugins where you’ve established trust, but maintain manual review for plugins handling sensitive data or core functionality. Always backup before applying updates.

Apply least privilege. Limit plugin permissions to the minimum required for functionality. Avoid plugins that request administrator-level database access unless absolutely necessary.

Handling At-Risk Plugins

When a plugin shows warning signs, such as an unpatched vulnerability, discontinued development, or suspicious behavior, act promptly:

1. Check if secure alternatives exist with similar functionality
2. Backup your site before making changes
3. Deactivate and delete the problematic plugin
4. Test the replacement in staging before production deployment
5. For plugins handling critical data, consider consulting a security professional before migration

If no alternative exists, evaluate whether the functionality is essential. Sometimes removing a feature is preferable to maintaining a security liability.

Moving Forward

The WordPress plugin ecosystem provides tremendous capability, but that capability comes with responsibility. By shifting from reactive security (responding to breaches) to proactive evaluation (assessing before installation), you reduce your exposure to the vulnerabilities that continue to affect the platform.

The five-step framework provides a repeatable process for plugin decisions. Combined with ongoing monitoring, it establishes a security posture that addresses 96% of WordPress vulnerabilities at their source: the plugins themselves.

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This article provides general educational guidance on plugin security evaluation. It does not constitute security advice for your specific situation. Always consult qualified security professionals for site-specific recommendations. Statistics and vulnerability data are point-in-time and subject to change.