Marc Armengou

PlugSeal gives administrators granular control over what each active plugin is allowed to do, inspired by Android app permissions and Flatseal for Flatpak. Each active plugin is listed in the settings page. For each plugin, administrators can allow or deny individual permissions with immediate effect. All permissions are allowed by default, so no existing functionality is broken until an administrator explicitly restricts it.
Permissions covered:
<ul>
<li><code>db:read</code> / <code>db:write</code> — database queries via $wpdb</li>
<li><code>db:read:users</code> / <code>db:write:users</code> — read and write access to user data (also covers wp_delete_user and wp_update_user)</li>
<li><code>http:outbound</code> — outbound HTTP requests via the WordPress HTTP API</li>
<li><code>options:read</code> / <code>options:write</code> — WordPress options via get_option / update_option (see limitations)</li>
<li><code>email:send</code> — sending email via wp_mail()</li>
<li><code>cron:write</code> — scheduling events via wp_schedule_event()</li>
<li><code>transients:write</code> — writing transients via set_transient()</li>
<li><code>users:create</code> — creating users via wp_create_user() (deletes are covered by db:write:users)</li>
<li><code>rest:register</code> — registering REST API endpoints via register_rest_route()</li>
<li><code>shortcode:register</code> — registering shortcodes via add_shortcode()</li>
<li><code>rewrite:register</code> — registering rewrite rules via add_rewrite_rule()</li>
<li><code>admin:menu</code> — adding entries to the admin menu and submenus</li>
<li><code>dashboard:widget</code> — adding dashboard widgets via wp_add_dashboard_widget()</li>
<li><code>hooks:frontend</code> — hooking into frontend hooks (wp_head, wp_footer, the_content, wp_enqueue_scripts…)</li>
<li><code>hooks:admin</code> — hooking into admin hooks (admin_head, admin_notices, admin_enqueue_scripts…)</li>
<li><code>hooks:auth</code> — hooking into authentication hooks (wp_login, wp_logout, user_register, authenticate…)</li>
<li><code>hooks:content</code> — hooking into content hooks (save_post, delete_post, pre_get_posts, wp_handle_upload…)</li>
<li><code>hooks:lifecycle</code> — hooking into plugin and theme lifecycle hooks (activated_plugin, deactivated_plugin, switch_theme…)</li>
</ul>
Honest limitations:
This plugin intercepts official WordPress APIs by identifying the calling plugin via the PHP call stack. It cannot intercept calls made by WordPress core on behalf of a plugin — for example, when WordPress processes a settings form via <code>options.php</code>, the call stack contains core files rather than the plugin files.
Specific limitations:
<ul>
<li><code>options:read</code> / <code>options:write</code> — work when a plugin calls these APIs directly from its own code (hooks, AJAX, cron). Do not block standard WordPress settings forms processed by <code>options.php</code>.</li>
<li>Filesystem access (<code>file_get_contents</code>, <code>fopen</code>, etc.) is not intercepted.</li>
<li>Direct <code>mysqli</code> connections, <code>eval()</code>, and raw PHP file functions bypass all interceptors.</li>
<li><code>wp_update_user()</code> and <code>wp_delete_user()</code> are covered by <code>db:write:users</code> since they write directly to the users table.</li>
<li><code>admin_init</code> is intentionally excluded from <code>hooks:admin</code> as it is too critical to block safely.</li>
</ul>

PlugSeal

Control what each active plugin is allowed to do. Allow or deny specific permissions per plugin, with immediate effect.

wonderfulplugins

Keep your WordPress site clean and secure! Wonderful Secure Cleanup provides a simple interface to disable unnecessary and often risky core features.
This plugin helps you harden your WordPress installation by reducing the attack surface. It selectively disables functions like comments, XML-RPC, pingbacks, and RSS feeds. By blocking risky endpoints like <code>xmlrpc.php</code> and feed URLs, you can significantly reduce spam and automated attacks, leading to better security and improved performance.
It is the ideal tool for business websites, landing pages, and any WordPress setup that doesn’t require legacy blogging functionality.

Wonderful Secure Cleanup

A simple way to clean and secure WordPress by disabling unnecessary features like comments, XML-RPC, and RSS feeds.

PlugSeal vs Wonderful Secure Cleanup