WordPress Security Plugin Caught Logging Plaintext Passwords

Robert Reeve.
July 17, 2023

According to several reports, the All-In-One Security (AIOS) WordPress plugin has been logging plaintext passwords from user login attempts. The plugin, which is currently installed on more than one million Wordpress sites, was originally designed to prevent cyberattacks. Understandably, AIOS is now under heavy scrutiny for what many users call an unjustifiable breach of privacy, especially for a plugin that prides itself on security.

WordPress Security Plugin Caught Logging Plaintext Passwords.

Users identified the AIOS issue almost two weeks ago. Many began to complain about the problem on the plugin’s forums. In brief, the issue allowed any user with admin rights to access the login credentials of all other administrator users. Understandably, this has led to outrage among the AIOS community.

AIOS claims that the password-logging problem was the result of a bug. In response, the development team released an update, version 5.2.0, to address the issue and remove all logged passwords from their database. Although this change seems to have rectified the core problem, AIOS aren’t out of the woods yet. Many users report that version 5.2.0 is causing their websites to break. In addition, Wordpress statistics show us that hundreds of thousands of users are still using the vulnerable, outdated version of the plugin. Evidently, AIOS still has a long way to go to fully rectify their mistake.

The biggest question mark surrounding this whole situation is why AIOS is yet to step forward and recommend that all users change their passwords, especially if they utilize the same password for multiple sites. All in all, this is a worrying time for AIOS. Whether their reputation will recover from this event remains to be seen.


Robert Reeve

Robert is an experienced marketing professional with extensive experience working with brands to refine go-to-market plans, SEO campaigns, and content marketing strategies. A committed writer with a keen eye on the latest developments, Robert specialises in producing content across all things tech and marketing.

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