{"id":5322,"date":"2019-04-15T15:46:19","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T10:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/cms\/wordpress-security-audit-and-pentesting\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T09:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T04:12:15","slug":"wordpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/penetration-testing\/wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Perform WordPress Vulnerability Assessment &#038; Penetration Testing &#8211; Tools, Checklist, &#038; Sample Report"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lu Wei, former director of Cyberspace Administration of China, said-<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Internet is a worldwide platform for sharing information. It is a community of common interests. No country is immune to such global challenges as cybercrime, hacking, and invasion of privacy.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"cdmcj\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WordPress_Penetration_Testing_Getting_Ready\"><\/span>WordPress Penetration Testing: Getting Ready<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In order to start testing your WordPress site for vulnerabilities, you need to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/security-audit\/how-to-hack-windows-xp-using-metasploit-kali-linux-ms08067\/#Setup-Used-for-Practicing-Metasploit-Basics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">set up the environment<\/a> first. So, when it comes to WordPress security audit or any other kind of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/penetration-testing\/penetration-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/penetration-testing\/penetration-testing\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">penetration test<\/a>, Kali Linux is considered the holy grail. The reason being that Kali provides a huge amount of hacking tools for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Therefore, first, we need to install Kali Linux on a system to pentest our WordPress site. Multiple approaches can be followed for this as Kali can be installed on a virtual box, a PC, or even an Android phone! However, for this article, we shall be using the virtual box. It is noteworthy here that in a real attack scenario, using Virtual Box to obtain reverse shell can become tricky due to multiple port forwarding involved.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"2300\" src=\"\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/cdn-blog.getastra.com\/2021\/05\/OWASP-TOP-10-INFOGRAPHICS.png\" alt=\"OWASP top 10\" class=\"wp-image-14324\" srcset=\"\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/cdn-blog.getastra.com\/2021\/05\/OWASP-TOP-10-INFOGRAPHICS.png 600w, \/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=401,height=1536,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/cdn-blog.getastra.com\/2021\/05\/OWASP-TOP-10-INFOGRAPHICS.png 401w, \/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=534,height=2048,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/cdn-blog.getastra.com\/2021\/05\/OWASP-TOP-10-INFOGRAPHICS.png 534w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/contact-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get your WordPress security audited by Astra today!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"9po25\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Installing Kali Linux for WordPress Security Audit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Step1:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.virtualbox.org\/manual\/ch02.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Download and install<\/a> the latest version of Virtual box or any other emulator of your choice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Step2:<\/strong> Now<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.kali.org\/category\/installation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"> download and install<\/a> the latest version of Kali Linux on Virtual Box for WordPress penetration testing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Step3:<\/strong> Post-installation doesn&#8217;t forget to install certain &#8220;guest addition&#8221; tools with the <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.kali.org\/general-use\/kali-linux-virtual-box-guest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">help of this article<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Step4:<\/strong> If you still face any troubles with installing Kali on a VM, use the Kali VM image.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now once, we have installed Kali, it is time to go for WordPress penetration testing. However, before conducting a security audit of a WordPress site, it is necessary to seek the permission of the related authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Related blog &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/security-audit\/penetration-testing-report\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/security-audit\/penetration-testing-report\/\">Detailed Sample Penetration Testing Report<\/a><\/em><\/strong> | <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/penetration-testing\/quote\">Penetration Testing Quote<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"7o90\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Seeking Consent for WordPress Penetration Testing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before actively attacking a target, it is important that you take permission and get a contract signed by the respective WordPress site owner. In case you fail to do so, legal complications may arise. You might even have to face jail time depending on the country and the cyber laws where the target is located. Moreover, the tools of Kali come with a warning that they should be run only after getting approval from the target or for educational purposes only. Once all this is done, make sure to draft a good agreement with the help of a cybersecurity lawyer. Further, there are certain proactive steps that can be taken to avoid complications:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is common wisdom to use virtual machines as much as possible for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/security-audit\/wordpress-security-audit\/\">WordPress security audits<\/a> to avoid complications.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In case you host a WordPress site on a third-party server, you may need the consent of the hosting provider before conducting a WordPress security audit on your own site!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Trying to find vulnerabilities beyond your authorized resources may lead to a felony. Avoid accidentally testing unauthorized resources like routers owned by a different company.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/security-audit\/best-penetration-testing-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">11 Top Penetration Testing Tools\/Software of 2026<\/a><\/em><\/strong> | <strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/penetration-testing\/web-pentest-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Top 6 Web Pentest Tools You Should Not Miss<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"c4agk\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Three_Steps_of_WordPress_Penetration_Testing\"><\/span>The Three Steps of WordPress Penetration Testing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"88t7q\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">WordPress Penetration Testing: Mapping<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first step towards WordPress penetration testing while using the &#8220;Black Box&#8221; approach is gathering as much information about the target as possible. This is known as Mapping or Reconnaissance. This can be done through a variety of tools. Let us take a look at some of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"12g05\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>NMAP<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nmap.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">NMAP a.k.a &#8216;Network Mapper&#8217;<\/a> offers a wide variety of flexibility while mapping a target for WordPress security audit. Not only can NMAP scan ports and fingerprint backend technologies, but it can also evade firewalls to scan stealthily, use NSE scripts for automatic vulnerability discovery and so much more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To access this tool, simply open the command line terminal on your Kali Linux and type:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><code>nmap<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Doing so would open the help interface of this tool containing all the key features. Now let us take a look at a live target. In the image given below, Nmap scans the domain <a href=\"http:\/\/scanme.nmap.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">scanme.nmap.org<\/a> which is provided by the Nmap site to test this tool.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img width=\"798\" height=\"774\"loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"798\" height=\"774\" src=\"\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=798,height=774,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/cdn-blog.getastra.com\/2019\/04\/nmap-401-demoscan.gif\" alt=\"WordPress security audit and WordPress Penetration Testing using Nmap\" class=\"wp-image-5338\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The &#8216;-A&#8217; option of Nmap means enabling OS detection, version detection, script scanning, and traceroute. Thereafter, the -T option helps Nmap to fine-grain the timing controls. The number 4 means an aggressive scan. Finally, Nmap has provided us with the following info:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open ports along with the services running on them i.e. port 80 are open with Apache 2.0.52 running.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The operating system running on the target machine that is Linux 2.6.0-2.6.11. Along with the uptime of the server.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thereafter, Nmap has also consecutively scanned our internal machine named &#8216;d0ze&#8217; with Local IP 192.168.12.3. This scan has also revealed the Open ports along with their services and OS. Not only this, but Nmap has also enumerated the MAC address of this local machine. This is just the tip of the iceberg as Nmap can perform a wider variety of tasks. Apart from Nmap, some other popular tools for mapping site for WordPress security audit are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/security-audit\/cyber-security-auditors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">7 Top Cyber Security Auditors for SaaS Companies [Reviewed]<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"er7u2\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Zenmap<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If beginners find trouble using Nmap, a GUI alternative of Nmap known as <a href=\"https:\/\/nmap.org\/zenmap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Zenmap<\/a> can be used for automation.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image image regular\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img width=\"1220\" height=\"700\"decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1220,height=700,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_5336\/zenmap-multi_2be83b76505057956566b33fc1b1ee44_800.png\" alt=\"WordPress security audit + WordPress penetration Testing + using Zenmap\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/security-audit\/firewall-penetration-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Why Firewall Penetration Testing is Essential to Your Security Strategy<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"6ktb2\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>ReconDog<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another good tool available on Github for black-box mapping is <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/s0md3v\/ReconDog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Recondog<\/a>. Its description calls it a &#8220;Reconnaissance Swiss Army Knife&#8221;. It uses a mixture of OSINT and Mapping for WordPress security audits.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image image regular\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img width=\"1280\" height=\"600\"decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1280,height=600,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_5336\/adding-more-effective-recon_1280x600_73eb7b865f738cfe077e97b661d98db5_800.jpg\" alt=\"WordPress security audit + WordPress penetration Testing + using ReconDog\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h4 id=\"c5bf8\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreover, other info about the target to conduct a WordPress security audit can be gathered from the public domain. Information like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Number of Subdomains available.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nameservers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ownership info and emails of employees(for social engineering attacks).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Geolocation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The resources that can be used for gathering OSNIT are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Whois.com<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Socialmention.com<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>recon-ng (Kali Linux tool)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>theharvester (Kali Linux tool)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shodan search engine<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Netcraft<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dark Web Sites:<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>http:\/\/onion.city\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>https:\/\/ahmia.fi\/search\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>http:\/\/thehiddenwiki.org\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>http:\/\/xmh57jrzrnw6insl.onion\/ (Torch a.k.a. The Tor Search)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"wpintel-chrome-plugin\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">WPintel Chrome Plugin<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can use a WordPress Vulnerability scanner plugin like WPintel to scan your WordPress site for vulnerabilities, version, themes, plugins, and even enumerate users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Need a complete WordPress security audit?. Drop us a message on the chat widget, and we\u2019d be happy to help you fix it.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/wordpress-security\"><a href=\"https:\/\/getastra.com\/website-vapt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"rank-math-link\">Help me with my WordPress Penetration Testing now<\/a><\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"ctuvq\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">WordPress Penetration Testing: Discovery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Post mapping all the technologies, it is now time for finding active vulnerabilities to conduct a WordPress security audit. The discovery part focuses on system-specific vulnerability discovery. In our case, the target uses WordPress so, we shall see all the tools that can be used for WordPress vulnerability discovery. Apart from WordPress, if the target is using other CMS or other systems, even then some specific tools can be used for finding vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"94l3s\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>WPScan<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WP scan a free tool that can be used to conduct a WordPress security audit. Designed with WordPress security in mind, this tool is a great choice for black-box testing of your WordPress site. This tool keeps a vulnerability database of WordPress and keeps updating it from time to time. Not only core WordPress but, this tool can scan for vulnerabilities in WordPress plugins and themes too.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image image regular\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_5336\/wpscanupdate_3e327e61a08c43c57545f32e2134190a_800.png\" alt=\"WordPress security audit + WordPress penetration Testing + using WPScan\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As shown in the image above, this tool first updates the vulnerability database before performing discovery on the target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To use this tool. Open the terminal in your Kali Linux and type:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><code>wpscan --url www.example.com<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This simple command will scan the target for vulnerabilities. This is just one example, for more help, on your terminal type: &#8216;wpscan -h&#8217;. This tool can also be used for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>WordPress login brute force.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>User Enumeration on WordPress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enumerating WordPress themes and Plugins.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Finding default WordPress directories.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IhzEBPXsJFM\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" width=\"727\" height=\"409\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"1rlo2\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Nikto<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nikto is a great open-source vulnerability scanner to conduct a WordPress security audit. It can scan multiple kinds of servers and is very comprehensive. However, the downside of Nikto is that it takes too much time and makes too much noise. Therefore, Nikto is easily detectable of a WAF or IDS. Moreover, Nikto also generates many false positives that need to be vetted manually for WordPress penetration testing. For more options type &#8220;<code>nikto -H<\/code>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image image regular\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_5336\/1-147_1b9db9daca497297c4669dbd1990ba0d_800.png\" alt=\"WordPress security audit + WordPress penetration Testing + using Nikto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h4 id=\"4en42\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Burp Suite<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/portswigger.net\/burp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Burp Suite<\/a> is a great collection of tools that can significantly ease the process of WordPress security audits. It can act as a proxy between the browser and the server. Therefore, all the HTTP requests can be manipulated in real-time to find various kinds of vulnerabilities. Apart from this, the Burp suite also provides various automatic tools for paid users only. The free edition of the Burp suite is good for manual testing.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image image regular\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_5336\/what-is-buprsuite_12427cdcaa49c2f0e1263b88d8e80ba0_800.png\" alt=\"WordPress security audit + WordPress penetration Testing + using Burp Suite\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/security-audit\/application-security-testing-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Top 5 Software Security Testing Tools in 2026 [Reviewed]<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"beteg\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Fuzzing<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fuzzing is the last resort in WordPress security audit when nothing seems to work. It basically sends a large number of random characters to the parameters of your WordPress site. This can uncover even some zero-day flaws!. Although, fuzzing creates large noise which can be picked by IDS. Some lightweight fuzzing tools are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For SQL injection:<\/strong> For comprehensive fuzzing of WordPress to find SQLi vulnerabilities, <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/sqlmapproject\/sqlmap\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sqlmap<\/a> is probably the best tool. Not only fuzzing but Sqlmap can also be used for the successful exploitation of an SQLi attack. Sqlamp can be used to enumerate databases on a vulnerable URL by the following command in Kali Linux:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><code>sqlmap -u \"target URL\" --dbs<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image image regular\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_5336\/screenshot_bcd66102e697f5552e2016b7a26cc46a_800.png\" alt=\"WordPress security audit + WordPress penetration Testing + using SQLmap\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For XSS:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/epsylon\/xsser\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">XSSer<\/a> can not only find but actively exploit XSS vulnerabilities. For more help type: &#8216;<code>xsser -h<\/code>&#8216;. And, for GUI, type: &#8216;<code>xsser --gtk<\/code>&#8216;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image image regular\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_5336\/xsser_bec996eb9fa27a9037cb73dc9a08b91e_800.png\" alt=\"WordPress security audit + WordPress penetration Testing + using XSSer\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">XSSer GUI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For Command Injection:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/commixproject\/commix\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Commix a.k.a. COMMand Injection eXploiter<\/a> can detect and exploit various types of command injections during a WordPress security audit. For more help, in Kali Linux type:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><code>commix -h<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image image regular\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_5336\/101415_1846_CommixAnaut1_d973e302ef8977c539970bfe7229c38d_800.png\" alt=\"WordPress security audit + WordPress penetration Testing + using Commix\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other tools provided by Kali Linux for fuzzing during WordPress security audit are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>sfuzz<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>powerfuzzer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>wfuzz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/security-audit\/api-penetration-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">API Penetration Testing: What You Need to Know<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"e4u1l\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">WordPress Penetration Testing: Exploitation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Post mapping and discovery, it is now time to identify exploitation points during a penetration testing. Trying the exploits can help us weed out the false positives. Though there are numerous frameworks for exploitation but for this article we shall only discuss one and its features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"9ac2r\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Metasploit<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.metasploit.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Metasploit<\/a> is an exploitation framework which can be used to exploit web apps during a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/security-audit\/web-application-penetration-testing\/\">web app pentest<\/a>, such as CMSes like WordPress. Developed and maintained by Rapid 7, Metasploit hosts a variety of exploits for different operating systems. First, update Metasploit before using it by running the &#8216;msfupdate&#8217; command in Kali Linux. Now, run Metasploit using the &#8216;msfconsole&#8217; command. Some key parameters that need to be set in this tool are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>search:<\/strong> This feature can be used to search for WordPress related exploits<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>use exploit:<\/strong> Using this feature, a particular exploit related to WordPress can be uploaded i.e. use exploit\/unix\/webapp\/wp_wpshop_ecommerce_file_upload<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>show options:<\/strong> This command list the parameters that need to be set thereafter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>set RHOST:<\/strong> This parameter needs the IP of the machine you wish to exploit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>TARGETURI:<\/strong> This parameter lists the file path of the target.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>set exploit:<\/strong> This command finally runs the exploit. Alternatively, the &#8216;run&#8217; command can also be used for this.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image image regular\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/https:\/\/images.storychief.com\/account_5336\/1_Y00H0AzutCtgqztQbU62DQ_2e71fbfbc5d61b2b96a29bf2af3bfe98_800.png\" alt=\"WordPress security audit + WordPress penetration Testing + using Metasploit\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"bvned\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WordPress_Penetration_Testing_By_Team_Astra\"><\/span>WordPress Penetration Testing By Team Astra<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using multiple tools for WordPress penetration testing can be both confusing and tedious. Moreover, one cannot completely rely on automation. The solution to this dilemma is Astra. Astra provides a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/features\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">balanced mix of manual and automatic testing<\/a> of your WordPress site. Moreover, Astra conducts both white box and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/penetration-testing\/black-box\/\">black box<\/a> WordPress security audits. Astra&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/services\/penetration-testing\">penetration testing service<\/a> has a great community of ethical hackers who ensure that no more security loopholes remain on your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a class=\"rank-math-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/website-vapt#pricing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get your WordPress security audited by <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/contact-us\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/contact-us\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Astra <\/a><a class=\"rank-math-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/website-vapt#pricing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">today!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"faqs\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQs\"><\/span>FAQs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"what-is-the-timeline-for-wordpress-penetration-testing\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the timeline for WordPress Penetration Testing?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress penetration test takes 7-10 days to complete. After you have fixed the vulnerabilities the rescan takes another 3-4 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"how-much-does-penetration-testing-cost\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How much does penetration testing cost?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/penetration-testing\/cost\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/security-audit\/penetration-testing-cost\/\">penetration testing costs<\/a> starts at $1999 per scan depending on the scope of the pentest and the plan you are on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"why-choose-astra-pentest\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why choose Astra Pentest?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">8000+ tests, adherence to global security standards, an intuitive dashboard with dynamic visualization of vulnerabilities and their severity, security audit with simultaneous remediation assistance, and multiple rescans, these are the features that give Astra an edge over all competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"do-i-also-get-rescans-after-a-vulnerability-is-fixed\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do I also get rescans after a vulnerability is fixed?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, you get 1-3 scans depending on the plan after the vulnerabilities are fixed. You can avail the re-scans within 30 days after the initial scan is completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [{\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"What is the timeline for WordPress Penetration Testing?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"Wordpress penetration test takes 7-10 days to complete. 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At times, it&#8217;s just some crazy fan printing pages from vulnerable printers around the globe to vote for his icon, other times it could be a group of hackers targeting popular CMSes with malware. Even a script kiddie can exploit common vulnerabilities in your site and damage critical infrastructure using loads of tools available online for free. Especially users of open source CMS like WordPress are amongst the soft targets. With the rise in cyber attacks, WordPress security audit has become more important than ever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722],"tags":[468,467,310,466],"class_list":["post-5322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-penetration-testing","tag-wordpress-penetration-testing","tag-wordpress-pentesting","tag-wordpress-security-audit","tag-wordpress-vapt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5322"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47412,"href":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5322\/revisions\/47412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getastra.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}