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PluginCanary

Starbox

Starbox - the Author Box for Humans
by SEO Squirrly · 10,000+ active installs · Checked 4 Nov 2026
Watch2 Warnings

Watch: tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, 3 major versions behind 7.1.4.

72/ 100 Canary Score
Sub-scores for Starbox
Ownership100
Maintenance25
Security100
Support70
Reputation70

How the score works

Quick answers

Is Starbox still maintained?
No. Last release 9 May 2025, over 1 year ago. 9 May 2025 · wordpress.org
Who owns Starbox, and has it changed hands?
No change recorded. Main committer cifi since Sep 2013. 4 Nov 2026 · SVN log
Was Starbox removed from wordpress.org?
No. Listed on wordpress.org as of 4 Nov 2026. 4 Nov 2026 · wordpress.org
Is Starbox safe?
6 known vulnerabilities, all fixed (latest in 3.5.3). Not on the exploited list. 9 Sep 2024 · Wordfence Intelligence
Is the latest Starbox update safe to install?
No ownership change before 3.5.4. No one-star spike after it. 9 May 2025 · Release history

Active signals

Facts we detected, with links to the source.

  • WarningMNT-2Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, 3 major versions behind 7.1.4. Plan a replacement if the plugin is important to your site.3 Nov 2026Evidence
  • WarningMNT-1No release in 18 months (last release 9 May 2025). Plan a replacement if the plugin is important to your site.9 May 2026Evidence

Ownership timeline

Who commits to the plugin's code on wordpress.org, over time.

Committers and their active periods
cifi30 Sep 2013 to 9 May 2025, 545 commits

1 committer recorded. No ownership change since 2013.

Maintenance

Last release
18 months ago
Releases, 24 months
6
Tested up to
6.8 vs 7.1
Requires PHP
7.0 supported 8.2+
Releases per quarter
Releases per quarter for Starbox
Q1 20240
Q2 20240
Q3 20240
Q4 20240
Q1 20250
Q2 20256
Q3 20250
Q4 20250
Q1 20260
Q2 20260
Q3 20260
Q4 20260

Last release 9 May 2025. Tested up to 6.8, 3 major versions behind WordPress 7.1.

Reputation

Last 90 days: no reviews. Lifetime: 4.5.

Rating distribution
5 star157
4 star21
3 star4
2 star8
1 star13
Latest low reviews

Security record

6 vulnerabilities on record, all patched (latest fixed in 3.5.3).

Show 6 patched vulnerabilities
PublishedIssueCVSSAffectedFixed inDays to patch
9 Sep 2024Starbox <= 3.5.3 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Twitter URL Field6.4<= 3.5.23.5.3n/a
20 Aug 2024Starbox - the Author Box for Humans <= 3.5.1 - Authenticated (Admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting4.4<= 3.5.13.5.2n/a
13 Feb 2024Starbox <= 3.4.9 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting6.4<= 3.4.93.5.0n/a
6 Feb 2024Starbox <= 3.4.8 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Job Settings6.4<= 3.4.83.5.0n/a
31 Jan 2024Starbox <= 3.4.8 - Authenticated (Subscriber+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Profile Display Name and Social Settings6.4<= 3.4.83.5.0n/a
30 Jan 2024Starbox - the Author Box for Humans <= 3.4.7 - Insecure Direct Object Reference4.3<= 3.4.73.4.8n/a

Sources: Wordfence Intelligence, CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities, readme changelogs.

Support

0% of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months.

Momentum

10,000+ active installs. History builds with each weekly snapshot.

Weekly downloads, last 27 weeks
Weekly downloads for Starbox
4 May 2026101
11 May 2026242
18 May 2026207
25 May 2026235
1 Jun 2026177
8 Jun 2026216
15 Jun 2026188
22 Jun 2026192
29 Jun 2026152
6 Jul 2026189
13 Jul 2026177
20 Jul 2026222
27 Jul 2026216
3 Aug 2026239
10 Aug 2026215
17 Aug 2026244
24 Aug 2026240
31 Aug 2026290
7 Sep 2026352
14 Sep 2026274
21 Sep 2026362
28 Sep 2026288
5 Oct 2026295
12 Oct 2026252
19 Oct 2026369
26 Oct 2026311
2 Nov 202648

Weekly downloads over the last 4 weeks are 5% above the 27-week average.

Healthier alternatives

Same job, rated Healthy, higher Canary Score and at least 10,000 installs. Never sponsored.

Co-Authors PlusScore 100 · 20,000+Simple Author BoxScore 91 · 90,000+VK Post Author DisplayScore 91 · 10,000+Molongui AuthorshipScore 91 · 10,000+Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and GuestScore 86 · 20,000+

Facts

Version3.5.4
AuthorSEO Squirrly
Added30 Sep 2013
Last updated9 May 2025
Active installs10,000+
Requires WordPress4.6
Tested up to6.8.12
Requires PHP7.0
CategoryCommunity & Social > Comments & Discussions
Tagsusers, author, author bio, author box, multiple authors

Other plugins by this author: GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO, Ask AI ContentLook

Questions

Is Starbox still maintained?

No. Last release 9 May 2025, over 1 year ago.

Who owns Starbox, and has it changed hands?

No change recorded. Main committer cifi since Sep 2013.

Was Starbox removed from wordpress.org?

No. Listed on wordpress.org as of 4 Nov 2026.

Is Starbox safe?

6 known vulnerabilities, all fixed (latest in 3.5.3). Not on the exploited list.

Is the latest Starbox update safe to install?

No ownership change before 3.5.4. No one-star spike after it.

Data: wordpress.org Plugins API, plugins SVN and Trac, wordpress.org reviews and support forum, Wordfence Intelligence, CISA KEV, NVD.Plugin data refreshed 4 Nov 2026.Report a data issue