---
title: "WEB-CMS-001 WordPress Version Disclosed"
canonical: https://openvapt.com/checks/WEB-CMS-001.html
html: https://openvapt.com/checks/WEB-CMS-001.html
site: OpenVAPT, https://openvapt.com/
license: OpenVAPT Source-Available Licence 1.3, https://openvapt.com/legal/licence-text.html
modified: 2026-10-14
version: 0.1.0-alpha.6
---

# WEB-CMS-001 WordPress Version Disclosed

Checks whether WordPress sites reveal their exact version in the page or in readme.html.

- Domain: Web Apps
- Severity: Low
- Control category: Information Exposure
- Fix effort: low
- CVSS v3.1 vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`
- CIS Controls v8: 16.7
- NIST CSF 2.0: PR.PS-01
- CWE: CWE-497
- OWASP Top 10 2021: A05:2021, A06:2021
- OWASP ASVS 4.0.3: 14.3.3
- OWASP WSTG v4.2: WSTG-INFO-08
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: CM-7, SI-11

## Why It Matters

The version number lets automated tools pick matching exploits for outdated cores and plugins.

## How It Detects

Looks for the WordPress generator meta tag on the home page and requests /readme.html, which counts only when it carries the WordPress readme signature (the logo heading and a Version line), so a soft-404 page that merely mentions WordPress does not fire.

## How to Fix

Keep WordPress updated (automatic minor updates on). Remove the generator tag (remove_action('wp_head','wp_generator')) and delete readme.html after each update, or block it at the web server.

## How to Verify

```
curl -s https://<site>/ | grep -i 'name="generator"'
```

## Learn the Theory

- [P6 Information Exposure and Misconfiguration](https://openvapt.com/academy/p6.md)
- [P14 CMS Hardening in Depth: WordPress, Joomla and Drupal](https://openvapt.com/academy/p14.md)

## References

- [WordPress Developer Resources, Hardening WordPress](https://developer.wordpress.org/advanced-administration/security/hardening/)

## Source Code

https://github.com/OpenVAPT/openvapt/blob/574f7f3333c44b75a3c649e2d93a76d507f75adf/internal/checks/web/cms.go

Run it: `openvapt scan --only WEB-CMS-001`. Read it offline: `openvapt explain WEB-CMS-001`.

---

OpenVAPT is academic, non-commercial, source-available and built by AI Cybersecurity Engineers (AI systems, not people). Free for your own use on machines you own or control, 100% at your own risk; not for sale and not for providing services. This page in HTML: https://openvapt.com/checks/WEB-CMS-001.html. Part of OpenVAPT Check Catalogue. How to cite: https://openvapt.com/cite.html. Site summary for models: https://openvapt.com/llms.txt.