Niraj Pal

<p>Malroot Security is a WordPress malware scanner built specifically to catch the threats that file-based scanners miss. It was created after a real-world investigation of compromised WordPress sites where Wordfence and similar tools failed to detect database-resident malware, rogue REST API endpoints, malicious MySQL triggers, and self-healing rootkit patterns.</p>
<h4>What makes Malroot different</h4>
<p>Most security plugins only scan files on disk. Malroot also looks at:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Database content</strong> — <code>wp_options</code>, <code>wp_posts</code>, <code>wp_postmeta</code> for injected PHP/JS payloads</li>
<li><strong>MySQL triggers and events</strong> — catches rootkits that recreate fake admins on every spam comment</li>
<li><strong>REST API routes</strong> — flags non-standard namespaces with dangerous capabilities</li>
<li><strong>mu-plugins</strong> — detects self-healing loaders that reinstall malware after deletion</li>
<li><strong>Bot-cloaked content</strong> — compares Googlebot vs human page output to detect SEO spam</li>
<li><strong>Outbound connections</strong> — logs every external HTTP request and alerts on known C2 hosts</li>
</ul>
<h4>Core features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Eight independent scanner modules with severity-based findings</li>
<li>One-click incident response that replays a complete malware cleanup</li>
<li>Auto-quarantine with full restore for files, options, postmeta, users, triggers, events</li>
<li>Real-time hooks block rogue admin creation and eval-based option injection</li>
<li>WordPress.org checksum verification — official files auto-accept silently</li>
<li>Login security with IP throttling, automated-tool detection, geo-aware new-origin alerts</li>
<li>Built-in 2FA (TOTP, RFC 6238 — works with Google Authenticator, Authy, 1Password)</li>
<li>Spam registration shield with honeypot, pattern blocklist, and bulk subscriber cleanup</li>
<li>Email and Slack alerting with deduplication</li>
<li>CSV export of findings for audit trails</li>
<li>Self-integrity check — Malroot detects tampering with its own code</li>
</ul>
<h4>Plain-language Simple View</h4>
<p>Findings are translated from technical rule IDs into plain English with clear actions:</p>
<ul>
<li>“Hidden trap found in your database” instead of “TR-005: Trigger after_insert_comment”</li>
<li>“Fake admin account found” instead of “UA-010: Known malware admin name”</li>
<li>“Hacker tool found on your site” instead of “MAL-005: WSO/FilesMan webshell signature”</li>
</ul>
<p>Each finding card answers three questions: what happened, why it matters, what to do.</p>
<h4>How verified-safe checking works</h4>
<p>When a file changes, Malroot looks up its MD5 hash in:</p>
<ol>
<li>The official WordPress.org core checksums API</li>
<li>The official plugin checksums at downloads.wordpress.org</li>
<li>A recent plugin/theme update window from the operator’s own update history</li>
</ol>
<p>Files that match an official checksum auto-accept silently — the user never sees them. Files that match a malware signature get flagged as critical regardless of any update window. Custom files and theme edits surface for manual review.</p>
<h4>Real-world validation</h4>
<p>Malroot was developed during the cleanup of compromised WordPress sites, including sites where the rogue plugin had embedded a MySQL trigger that recreated a <code>newsfeed</code> admin user every time a spam comment was posted. That attack pattern is now a built-in detection.</p>
<h3>External services</h3>
<p>This plugin connects to the external services listed below. By default only the WordPress.org checksum APIs are used; the rest are opt-in. Each is documented with what is sent, when, and why.</p>
<p><strong>WordPress.org core checksums API</strong> (<code>api.wordpress.org</code>)<br />
Used to verify whether changed core files match official WordPress release checksums. The plugin sends only the WordPress version string and locale (e.g. <code>6.5.4</code> / <code>en_US</code>) to fetch the public checksum manifest. No site content is sent. This is the same API WordPress core uses for its built-in checksum tool.<br />
Provider: WordPress Foundation. Privacy policy: https://wordpress.org/about/privacy/. Terms: https://wordpress.org/about/</p>
<p><strong>WordPress.org plugin checksums</strong> (<code>downloads.wordpress.org</code>)<br />
Used to verify whether changed plugin files match the checksums of the version installed from the WordPress.org plugin directory. The plugin sends the plugin slug and version to fetch the public checksum manifest. No site content is sent.<br />
Provider: WordPress Foundation. Privacy policy: https://wordpress.org/about/privacy/. Terms: https://wordpress.org/about/</p>
<p><strong>ipapi.co GeoIP lookup</strong> (<code>ipapi.co</code>) — optional, OFF by default<br />
Disabled unless the administrator turns on “IP geolocation” on the Settings page. When enabled, it displays a human-readable country and city for IP addresses recorded on the Login Activity page. The plugin sends only the IP address being looked up, and only when an administrator opens the Login Activity page — never during normal site traffic. Results are cached locally for 30 days so each unique IP is queried at most once per month. If the option is left off (the default), no IP address is ever sent and login records simply show the raw IP.<br />
Provider: ipapi. Privacy policy: https://ipapi.co/privacy/. Terms: https://ipapi.co/terms/</p>
<p><strong>Slack incoming webhook</strong> (URL configured by the site administrator, optional)<br />
If the site administrator enters a Slack incoming webhook URL on the Settings page, critical and high-severity alerts are POSTed to that URL as a short notification payload (event type, severity, summary, and site host). No site content, credentials, or scan results are sent. This service is opt-in and only active when a webhook URL has been configured.<br />
Provider: Slack. Privacy policy: https://slack.com/trust/privacy/privacy-policy. Terms: https://slack.com/terms-of-service</p>


Malroot Security

Catches database-resident backdoors, rogue admins, malicious MySQL triggers and self-healing rootkits other scanners miss.

cleverhog

<p><strong>Cleverhog Malware Scanner</strong> helps you investigate a suspicious or compromised WordPress site from the admin dashboard. It is <strong>free</strong> and may be used on <strong>unlimited websites</strong> with no license keys or per-site fees.</p>
<p>This plugin <strong>detects and reports</strong> potential security issues. It does <strong>not</strong> automatically remove malware or guarantee that a site is clean. Always back up your site before changing or deleting files.</p>
<h4>What it scans</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>Files</strong> — Pattern-based scan of themes, plugins, uploads, wp-content, or the full site (with code snippets, file size, and last-modified date)</li>
<li><strong>Backdoors</strong> — Must-use plugins, drop-ins, wp-config, cron jobs, and suspicious hooks</li>
<li><strong>.htaccess</strong> — Discovers <code>.htaccess</code> files site-wide and lists suspicious redirects, PHP handlers in uploads, auto_prepend, cloaking rules, and more</li>
<li><strong>Authentication</strong> — XML-RPC, user enumeration, weak salts, file editor, and SSL-related checks</li>
<li><strong>Database</strong> — Suspicious autoloaded options and injected post content</li>
<li><strong>Administrators</strong> — All admin users with registration dates and risk flags</li>
<li><strong>Updates</strong> — Outdated plugins, themes, and core (medium for major/minor updates, low for patch-only updates)</li>
<li><strong>Plugin integrity</strong> — WordPress.org plugins compared to official checksums (one summary per plugin)</li>
</ul>
<h4>Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Live threat counter during scans</li>
<li>Results sorted by severity (critical, high, medium, low)</li>
<li>Last scan results restored when you reopen the dashboard</li>
<li>Admin menu badge showing critical issue count</li>
<li>Excludes this plugin’s own files from file scans to reduce false positives</li>
</ul>
<h3>Privacy</h3>
<p>This plugin runs entirely on your server. Scans do not send your site files to the plugin author.</p>
<p>When you run a scan, the plugin may contact:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>WordPress.org</strong> (<code>downloads.wordpress.org</code>) — to fetch official plugin checksums for integrity verification</li>
<li><strong>WordPress.org update APIs</strong> — to check for available plugin, theme, and core updates (standard WordPress behavior)</li>
</ul>
<p>No personal data is collected by the plugin author. Scan results are stored in your WordPress database (options and transients) for display in the admin dashboard and are visible to users who can manage the site.</p>
<h3>Support</h3>
<p>Support is provided through the WordPress.org support forums after publication.</p>


Cleverhog Malware Scanner

Free WordPress malware scanner by Cleverhog: detect suspicious files, backdoors, weak logins, and outdated software from your dashboard.

Malroot Security vs Cleverhog Malware Scanner