How do I check to see if WP theme is clean?

TheArticlePros

11 years ago

Out of curiosity...why are you looking for obscure themes? What's wrong with the established, mainstream ones?

-- j

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peewhy

11 years ago

Just stay clear, if they are from a questionable source, it is likely they'll have some malware. There's plenty of really good WP themes at very low cost.

The time you spend with anti-virus, malware cleaners, even paying for techies repair will far out weigh the cost of a nulled script.

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jetsetter883

11 years ago

Some of them are a bit too elaborate for my needs, but mostly I was able to find a color scheme + layout combo that I like in one of the obscure themes.

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peewhy

11 years ago

Just stay clear, if they are from a questionable source, it is likely they'll have some malware. There's plenty of really good WP themes at very low cost.

The time you spend with anti-virus, malware cleaners, even paying for techies repair will far out weigh the cost of a nulled script.

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jetsetter883

11 years ago

here, this is the site: WordPress 3 Themes - Download Free WordPress 3.0 Themes

it's not that obscure. what do you guys think?

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Wilco de Kreij

11 years ago

If you want to be sure the themes are good, go for the themes from respected companies (such as WooThemes, for example).

Good luck!

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jetsetter883

11 years ago

well if i were to download the theme i want and run it through a virus scan would that be an adequate way of checking for any funny stuff ?

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Crew Chief 11 years ago

Originally Posted by jetsetter883

well if i were to download the theme i want and run it through a virus scan would that be an adequate way of checking for any funny stuff ?

Here is what I do.

First, I have a number of domains set up that I use for the sole purposes of testing out various platforms, scripts, WordPress themes and such. The point being, I test virtually all WP themes on my test domains prior to actually installing them on the actual domain.

If you are trying out free WP themes, you need to - as a first line of defense - run them through https://www.virustotal.com/ and also through: Jotti's malware scan

If they pass, then install the theme on a test domain and run it through: Website Security Check - Unmask Parasites and Sucuri SiteCheck - Free Website Malware Scanner to check for parasites, rootkits, hackers exploits and security vulnerabilities.

If it passes that, then install and run: WordPress › Exploit Scanner « WordPress Plugins

Why so many checks and balances? Because free WP themes cannot and should not be trusted under any circumstances.
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Wilco de Kreij

11 years ago

If you want to be sure the themes are good, go for the themes from respected companies (such as WooThemes, for example).

Good luck!

Thanks

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jetsetter883

11 years ago

haha c'mon guys not everybody uses Genesis, Elegant Themes or WooThemes. i'm sure some of you have used other ones.. i should've never mentioned malware lol. can someone kindly take a look at the site which hosts the theme and let me know your thoughts? it's not like i found it on The Pirate Bay.

WordPress 3 Themes - Download Free WordPress 3.0 Themes

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1 reply

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karlmay1980

11 years ago

Originally Posted by jetsetter883

haha c'mon guys not everybody uses Genesis, Elegant Themes or WooThemes. i'm sure some of you have used other ones.. i should've never mentioned malware lol. can someone kindly take a look at the site which hosts the theme and let me know your thoughts? it's not like i found it on The Pirate Bay.

WordPress 3 Themes - Download Free WordPress 3.0 Themes

I have used themes from that site and been Ok, but I generally use Elegant themes or Woo themes, like I say I havent had a problem though.

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jetsetter883

11 years ago

Thanks Crew Chief and karlmay1980 for providing genuine answers instead of unnecessary opinions.

Thanks
1 reply

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Crew Chief 11 years ago

Originally Posted by jetsetter883

Thanks Crew Chief and karlmay1980 for providing genuine answers instead of unnecessary opinions.

Your welcome Jetsetter883 and much success to you!

And just so that everyone knows and understands, there are numerous people jumping into IM and they may have any number of reasons why they are using a free WP theme, free hosting and even a free domain.

Whatever their reason, it is my belief that the WF is here to help them take their dream and vision to the next level.
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andersvinther

11 years ago

It's illegal to use the word "wordpress" in a domain name... breaches trademark rights...

So they're already doing wrong... and you want to install their code on your server...

Hmmmm.... maybe not such a good idea...

Here is are two very interesting articles you should read:
Free Wordpress Themes: Why You Should Never Search For Them on Google
When is a Free WordPress Theme Really Free? Some Thoughts and Some Places to Find Them | The WordPress Experts - WPMU.org

But to answer your question: how do you check a theme?
- Install on a local test server - preferably in a Virtual Machine, so you can throw it out afterwards.
- Use the Theme Authenticity Checker: WordPress › TAC (Theme Authenticity Checker) « WordPress Plugins
- Use the advice from Crew Chief above...

Cheers,

Anders

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so11

11 years ago

Hello warriors,

It is better to get your themes from trusted sources and known companies.

Even if you install and test your sites in test environments, it is not 100% certain that you'll discover/identify any spyware/adware/bad scripts/viruses.

A regular antivirus will not do the job. If you are uncertain about the code/theme/plugin just dont run it. If you like risky business, the only way to find out is to security audit/scan your site and go from there.

So11

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Jeffery

11 years ago

I also recommend never use any encrypted theme or plugin unless it is from a trusted source.

Jeffery 100%

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jetsetter883

11 years ago

Well I did some research on the person who wrote the theme and it was done by a guy named Mr. Pixel. I would suspect that any nefarious themes would not have anyone's identity connected to them. But there are lots of opinions in this thread and so far only one or two people even bothered to check out the link.

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Jtraits

11 years ago

You can also open the theme .html and paste the code to a SPAM checker ... the result of the check will tell you what to change in order to make it clean or where the problems are...

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DeadRooster

11 years ago

I found a Theme Authenticity Plugin at wordpress [dot] org:

WordPress › TAC (Theme Authenticity Checker) « WordPress Plugins

I've never used it though; I only use Catalyst or OptimizePress

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ot 11 years ago

Whatever you do don't upload it to your server without going through the whole code by hand.

Bad scripts will go through and edit the files in every other theme you already have.

If you don't understand php or have no idea how to identify rogue code then you are stuck having to go with a recognised theme. Free always comes at a cost - whether it's backlinks in the footer you don't want, or something worse.
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williamk

Banned 11 years ago

Don't try to use themes that you get from somewhere else than the usual designer's site. It's not worth it.
It helps to just pay 35$ for a good theme.

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straightforward

11 years ago

I would recommend you to use Theme-Check plugin.

The theme check plugin is an easy way to test your theme and make sure it's up to spec with the latest theme review standards. With it, you can run all the same automated testing tools on your theme that WordPress.org uses for theme submissions.

The tests are run through a simple admin menu and all results are displayed at once. This is very handy for theme developers, or anybody looking to make sure that their theme supports the latest WordPress theme standards and practices.

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Don Schenk

11 years ago

And if you want a specific look, layout, and colors in a them, you can build your own themes with Headway Themes visual theme builder. I think it's $68 and is a WYSIWYG design platform.

You can create WP sites that look totally different than anything else out there.

:-Don

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How do I check to see if WP theme is clean?

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