Jeff Starr

👉 Enables custom headers for WP email notifications
👉 Also provides a “set it and forget it” security fix for WP < 5.5
👉 Uses only 50KB of code, so super lightweight, fast, and effective
Important
As of WordPress 5.5, this plugin no longer is necessary to fix the <a href="https://exploitbox.io/vuln/WordPress-Exploit-4-7-Unauth-Password-Reset-0day-CVE-2017-8295.html" rel="nofollow ugc">host-header security issue</a> reported in <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/25239" rel="nofollow ugc">Ticket #25239</a> finally is fixed, and mentioned in this post <a href="https://wordpress.org/news/2020/07/wordpress-5-5-beta-4/" rel="ugc">WordPress 5.5 Beta 4</a>. Thank You WordPress devs!
Is this plugin still useful?
Yes, it enables you to choose the “From”, “Name”, and “Return-Path” headers for all WP notification emails. And for versions of WordPress less than 5.5, this plugin continues to fix the host-header injection security issue.
Features
This simple plugin does three things:
<ol>
<li>Sets custom From, Name, and Return-Path for WP notifications</li>
<li>Fixes a security vulnerability in WordPress versions < 5.5</li>
<li>Fixes a bug where invalid email addresses may be generated (in WordPress versions < 5.5)</li>
</ol>
Choose from the following options:
<ul>
<li>Use WordPress defaults (insecure for WP < 5.5)</li>
<li>Use “Email Address” from WP General Settings</li>
<li>Use a custom name and address</li>
</ul>
Plus there is an option to use the specified From address as the Return-Path header.
Why?
The security issue fixed by this plugin has been known about since way back in WordPress version 2.3. There has been some talk about fixing, but nothing has been implemented. While the issue does not affect all sites, it does affect a good percentage of them, including some of my own projects. So, not wanting to get hacked, I decided to write my own solution. Hopefully this issue gets fixed in a future version of WordPress, and this plugin will become unnecessary.
As a bonus, setting an explicit From address resolves a long-standing bug whereby an invalid email address is generated under the following conditions:
<ul>
<li>A “From” address is not set, </li>
<li>And the <code>$_SERVER['SERVER_NAME']</code> is empty</li>
</ul>
So by explicitly setting a “From” address, we prevent this bug from happening.
Security Issue
What is the security issue addressed by this plugin? Follows is a quick summary. To learn more in-depth, check out the resources linked in the next section.
<ul>
<li>WP uses <code>$_SERVER['SERVER_NAME']</code> to set the “From” header in email notifications</li>
<li>This includes sensitive email notifications like password resets and user registration</li>
<li>In some cases, an attacker could modify the “From” header and intercept the email</li>
<li>Using the intercepted email, an attacker could gain access to your site and wreak havoc</li>
</ul>
More Infos
This security vulnerability is well-known and has been around for a looong time. To learn more, check out these articles:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/25239" rel="nofollow ugc">WP Core Trac Ticket</a></li>
<li><a href="https://exploitbox.io/vuln/WordPress-Exploit-4-7-Unauth-Password-Reset-0day-CVE-2017-8295.html" rel="nofollow ugc">Exploit Box Info</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/41963" rel="nofollow ugc">Exploit Database</a></li>
</ul>
Privacy
This plugin does not collect or store any user data. It does not set any cookies, and it does not connect to any third-party locations. Thus, this plugin does not affect user privacy in any way.
Host Header Injection Fix is developed and maintained by <a href="https://x.com/perishable" rel="nofollow ugc">Jeff Starr</a>, 15-year <a href="https://plugin-planet.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">WordPress developer</a> and <a href="https://books.perishablepress.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">book author</a>.
Support development
I develop and maintain this free plugin with love for the WordPress community. To show support, you can <a href="https://monzillamedia.com/donate.html" rel="nofollow ugc">make a donation</a> or purchase one of my books:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://wp-tao.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">The Tao of WordPress</a></li>
<li><a href="https://digwp.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">Digging into WordPress</a></li>
<li><a href="https://htaccessbook.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">.htaccess made easy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://wp-tao.com/wordpress-themes-book/" rel="nofollow ugc">WordPress Themes In Depth</a></li>
<li><a href="https://books.perishablepress.com/downloads/wizards-collection-sql-recipes-wordpress/" rel="nofollow ugc">Wizard’s SQL Recipes for WordPress</a></li>
</ul>
And/or purchase one of my premium WordPress plugins:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/bbq-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">BBQ Pro</a> – Blazing fast WordPress firewall</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Blackhole Pro</a> – Automatically block bad bots</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/banhammer-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Banhammer Pro</a> – Monitor traffic and ban the bad guys</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/ga-google-analytics-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">GA Google Analytics Pro</a> – Connect WordPress to Google Analytics</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/head-meta-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Head Meta Pro</a> – Ultimate Meta Tags for WordPress</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/rest-pro-tools/" rel="nofollow ugc">REST Pro Tools</a> – Awesome tools for managing the WP REST API</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/simple-ajax-chat-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Simple Ajax Chat Pro</a> – Unlimited chat rooms</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/usp-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">USP Pro</a> – Unlimited front-end forms</li>
</ul>
Links, tweets and likes also appreciated. Thank you! 🙂

Host Header Injection Fix

Sets custom headers for WP notification emails. Also fixes a security issue with WP versions < 5.5.

kanenas

kanenas — Minor/Patch Auto-Updates gives you granular control over automatic updates. While WordPress allows you to enable or disable auto-updates entirely, this adds a third option: auto-update only minor and patch versions while keeping major versions at bay.
<h4>Why Use This?</h4>
Major version updates often introduce significant changes that may:
<ul>
<li>Break compatibility with other extensions</li>
<li>Introduce new features that require testing</li>
<li>Change the behavior of existing functionality</li>
<li>Require database migrations or manual intervention</li>
</ul>
With this, you can:
<ul>
<li>Receive security patches automatically – Minor and patch versions typically contain security fixes</li>
<li>Get bug fixes without intervention – Patch versions are generally safe to apply automatically</li>
<li>Control major updates manually – Review major version changes before applying them</li>
<li>Maintain site stability – Reduce the risk of unexpected breaking changes</li>
</ul>
<h4>How It Works</h4>
It uses semantic versioning (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH) to determine update types:
<ul>
<li>Major update (e.g., 1.0.0 → 2.0.0): Blocked from auto-update</li>
<li>Minor update (e.g., 1.0.0 → 1.1.0): Allowed to auto-update</li>
<li>Patch update (e.g., 1.0.0 → 1.0.1): Allowed to auto-update</li>
</ul>
Internally, this plugin runs only on WordPress auto-update decision filters:
<ul>
<li><code>auto_update_plugin</code></li>
<li><code>auto_update_theme</code></li>
</ul>
When you enable minor/patch mode for a plugin or theme, it also adds that item to WordPress core’s <code>auto_update_plugins</code> / <code>auto_update_themes</code> site options so the automatic updater treats it as opted-in the same way as the Plugins/Themes screen toggle.
It does not rewrite update API responses (<code>plugins_api</code>) and does not modify updater transients (<code>pre_set_site_transient_update_plugins</code>). Premium update discovery and license validation remain managed by each vendor updater.
<h4>Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Per-item control – Enable minor/patch auto-updates for specific items</li>
<li>Easy toggle – Simple links in the admin pages</li>
<li>Non-intrusive – Works alongside WordPress’s native auto-update system</li>
<li>Clean uninstall – Removes all data when uninstalled</li>
<li>Translation ready – Fully prepared for localization</li>
</ul>
<h4>Usage</h4>
<ol>
<li>Go to Plugins → Installed Plugins</li>
<li>Look for the “Enable auto-updates minor/patch” link below each plugin’s auto-update setting</li>
<li>Click to enable/disable minor/patch auto-updates for that plugin</li>
</ol>
For themes: 
1. Go to Appearance → Themes 
2. Click on a theme to view its details 
3. Look for the “Enable auto-updates minor/patch” option in the theme details overlay
<h3>Privacy Policy</h3>
This plugin does not collect, store, or transmit any personal data. It only stores plugin/theme preferences in your WordPress database.

kanenas — Minor/Patch Auto-Updates

Adds an "Enable auto-updates minor/patch" option, allowing automatic updates only for minor and patch versions while preventing major updates.

Host Header Injection Fix vs kanenas — Minor/Patch Auto-Updates