33% of plugin vulnerabilities will never be patched.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Your website might as well have a flashing neon sign saying "HACK ME" if you're running abandoned plugins.
You think you're safe because you installed that security plugin last year? Think again. While you're busy focusing on strong passwords and two-factor authentication, there's a ticking time bomb in your WordPress installation that no amount of updates will ever fix.
I discovered this the hard way when a client's e-commerce site was hijacked last week. The attack vector?
A seemingly innocent contact form plugin that hadn't been updated in 18 months. The developer had long since disappeared, but the vulnerability remained, permanently exploitable and completely undetectable by standard security scans.
WHY YOUR WORDPRESS PLUGINS MIGHT BE ABANDONED LANDMINES
You meticulously update WordPress core. You diligently install plugin updates the moment they appear. You follow all the security best practices. And yet, your site remains vulnerable through no fault of your own.
The uncomfortable truth is that the WordPress ecosystem has a serious abandonment problem. Developers create plugins, gain thousands or millions of users, then simply walk away - leaving digital landmines scattered across the internet that will never be defused.
It's like buying a car with no recall system. If a critical safety defect is discovered after the manufacturer goes out of business, you're stuck driving a dangerous vehicle with no way to fix it.
When a plugin developer abandons their code, any vulnerabilities discovered afterward become permanent threats. There's no patch coming. Ever. And according to Patchstack's research, a staggering 33% of WordPress plugin vulnerabilities were never patched because they existed in abandoned plugins that "will likely never receive a patch" despite having "active installations" across thousands of websites.
What makes this particularly insidious is the silent nature of the threat. Abandoned plugins don't announce themselves. They continue functioning normally until the moment they're exploited.
The conventional advice to "keep plugins updated" is utterly useless against this growing threat. You can't update what doesn't exist.
The only effective solution is a proactive approach that identifies potentially abandoned plugins before they become security liabilities.
Website owners need tools that can detect early warning signs of plugin abandonment - like development inactivity, dwindling support responses, or removal from official repositories. Implementing virtual patching as a temporary shield while transitioning to maintained alternatives is essential.
Think of it as having your own recall system that both identifies the dangerous components AND provides temporary protection while you replace them.
WP SECURITY RADAR
Second OttoKit Vulnerability Being Actively Exploited A new critical vulnerability (CVE-2025-27007) in the OttoKit plugin (100,000+ installations) is under active attack. Hackers are exploiting this authentication bypass flaw to establish unauthorized connections with vulnerable sites and then create administrator accounts, allowing them complete control over WordPress sites.
Fake Security Plugin Enables Remote Admin Access A sophisticated malware campaign discovered this week disguises itself as a security plugin called "WP-antymalwary-bot.php" or similar names. The malicious code hides from the dashboard, communicates with command servers in Russia, and reinstalls itself if deleted by modifying WordPress core files and injecting malicious JavaScript.
PGS Core Plugin Vulnerability Affects Thousands of Sites The WordPress PGS Core Plugin (versions 5.8.0 and earlier) contains a high-severity Broken Access Control vulnerability that gives attackers elevated privileges. Patchstack has issued an emergency virtual patch for this critical vulnerability which they warn is "highly dangerous and expected to become mass exploited."
Fake CAPTCHA Verification Installs Node.js Backdoors Security researchers have discovered deceptive CAPTCHA verifications on compromised WordPress sites that trick users into downloading Node.js-based backdoors. These backdoors gather system information, grant remote access, and deploy sophisticated remote access trojans designed to tunnel malicious traffic.
STAT OF THE WEEK
In just seven days, 241 fresh security holes have been discovered in WordPress plugins and themes.150 of them still have no patch. That’s not just a statistic. It’s a gaping blind spot.
These aren’t theoretical threats. They’re real, actively exploited entry points that quietly expose your site to attackers. No warning signs. No flashing red lights. Just silent access to your most valuable content.
Take the 90-Second Plugin Risk Assessment
Take 90 seconds right now to open your WordPress dashboard and go to the Plugins page:
Count how many plugins you have installed
Note how many haven't been updated in the last 6 months
Look for plugins without a "View details" link
Shocked? Those outdated plugins are likely abandoned - creating permanent security holes that no update can fix. With 33% of vulnerabilities never receiving patches, the only solution is complete removal.
Don't let abandoned plugins silently destroy your business. Eliminate these security threats today before they lead to devastating breaches you can never recover from.
Until next week,
Michael
Operator @ WP Folio