# Wp Mass Recon

> Batch WP recon: users, CORS, XMLRPC, leaks across domains.

- Skill: `uphiago/wp-mass-recon` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add uphiago/wp-mass-recon`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/uphiago/wp-mass-recon/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- License: MIT
- Author: uphiago (https://skillmd.com/u/uphiago)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/uphiago/wp-mass-recon

---


# WP Mass Recon Skill

Batch WordPress vulnerability detection pipeline for scanning dozens to hundreds of domains in parallel. Detects WordPress presence, REST API user enumeration, CORS credential reflection, XMLRPC exposure, open registration, and sensitive file leaks in a single pass. Proven on 600+ US company domains across 28 sectors.

## When to Use

- You have an authorized target list from a bug bounty program, pentest engagement, or red team with signed RoE.
- Sector-wide recon within authorized scope.
- After `subfinder`/`crt.sh` produces a target list and you need to triage.
- You want maximum findings per minute with a parallelizable pipeline.

## Prerequisites

- `curl`, `httpx`, `python3`, and `jq`.
- A target list in `domain|company|sector` format, one target per line.
- A writable `OUTPUT_DIR`; examples default to `./output`.
- The bundled scanner or the inline commands below.

## How to Run

```bash
# Phase 1: Live host discovery + tech detection
httpx -silent -l targets.txt -threads 50 -tech-detect -status-code -title -o $OUTDIR/alive.txt

# Phase 2: WP detection, user enum, CORS, XMLRPC (20 workers)
python3 parallel_batch.py "${OUTPUT_DIR:-./output}/targets.txt" 20
```

Or run the 4-phase pipeline manually using the commands in Procedure.

## Quick Reference

| Check | Command | Positive Signal |
|-------|---------|-----------------|
| WP detection | `curl -skI "https://TARGET/wp-login.php"` | HTTP 200/301/302 |
| User enum | `curl --max-time 30 --connect-timeout 10 -sk "https://TARGET/wp-json/wp/v2/users"` | JSON with `id`, `name`, `slug` |
| CORS | `curl -skI "https://TARGET/wp-json/wp/v2/users" -H "Origin: https://evil.com"` | `Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true` |
| XMLRPC | `curl --max-time 30 --connect-timeout 10 -sk -X POST "https://TARGET/xmlrpc.php" -d '<methodCall><methodName>demo.sayHello</methodName></methodCall>'` | `Hello!` in body |
| Open reg | `curl --max-time 30 --connect-timeout 10 -sk "https://TARGET/wp-login.php?action=register"` | Form with `user_login` field |
| Source leaks | Parallel curl for `.env`, `wp-config.php.bak`, `.git/config`, `debug.log`, `backup.sql` | Real content (not SPA catch-all) |

## Procedure

### Phase 1 — Target Preparation

```bash
# Generate target list from crt.sh sector keywords
for sector in "landscaping" "roofing" "hvac" "pools" "plumbing"; do
  curl --max-time 30 --connect-timeout 10 -sk "https://crt.sh/?q=%25.${sector}%25&output=json" | jq -r '.[].name_value' | sed 's/\*\.//g' | sort -u >> $OUTDIR/discovered.txt
done

# Filter to unique domains, remove www prefix
cat $OUTDIR/discovered.txt | sed 's/^www\.//' | sort -u > $OUTDIR/unique_domains.txt
```

### Phase 2 — Live Host Discovery

```bash
# httpx with tech detection, 50 threads
httpx -silent -l $OUTDIR/unique_domains.txt -threads 50 -tech-detect -status-code -title \
  -o $OUTDIR/alive.txt

# Parse to URL list
awk '{print $1}' $OUTDIR/alive.txt | grep -E '^https?://' > $OUTDIR/urls.txt
```

### Phase 3 — Parallel Vulnerability Scan

For each live target, run in parallel (20 workers):

```bash
while read -r url; do
  domain=$(echo "$url" | sed 's|https\?://||')
  (
    echo "# $domain Findings" > "$OUTDIR/findings/${domain}_findings.md"

    # WP detection
    wp_code=$(curl -sk -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" --max-time 10 --connect-timeout 10 "$url/wp-login.php")
    [[ "$wp_code" =~ ^(200|301|302|403)$ ]] && echo "- WordPress: YES (wp-login: $wp_code)" >> "$OUTDIR/findings/${domain}_findings.md"

    # User enumeration
    users=$(curl -sk --max-time 10 --connect-timeout 10 "$url/wp-json/wp/v2/users" | python3 -c "import sys,json; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(len(d) if isinstance(d,list) else 0)" 2>/dev/null)
    [[ "$users" -gt 0 ]] && echo "- Users exposed: $users" >> "$OUTDIR/findings/${domain}_findings.md"

    # CORS credential reflection
    cors=$(curl -skI --max-time 10 --connect-timeout 10 "$url/wp-json/wp/v2/users" -H "Origin: https://evil.com" 2>/dev/null | grep -i "access-control-allow-credentials: true")
    [[ -n "$cors" ]] && echo "- CORS: CREDENTIAL REFLECTION CONFIRMED" >> "$OUTDIR/findings/${domain}_findings.md"

    # XMLRPC
    xmlrpc=$(curl -sk -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" --max-time 10 --connect-timeout 10 -X POST "$url/xmlrpc.php" \
      -d '<?xml version="1.0"?><methodCall><methodName>demo.sayHello</methodName></methodCall>')
    [[ "$xmlrpc" == "200" ]] && echo "- XMLRPC: OPEN" >> "$OUTDIR/findings/${domain}_findings.md"

    # Open registration
    reg=$(curl -sk --max-time 10 --connect-timeout 10 "$url/wp-login.php?action=register" | grep -o 'user_login')
    [[ -n "$reg" ]] && echo "- Open Registration: YES" >> "$OUTDIR/findings/${domain}_findings.md"

    # Source leaks (parallel)
    for path in ".env" "wp-config.php.bak" ".git/config" "debug.log" "backup.sql" "info.php" "phpinfo.php" "wp-config.php~" ".env.backup" ".env.local" "docker-compose.yml" "Dockerfile"; do
      leak_code=$(curl -sk -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" --max-time 5 --connect-timeout 5 "$url/$path")
      if [[ "$leak_code" == "200" ]]; then
        content=$(curl -sk --max-time 5 --connect-timeout 5 "$url/$path" | head -c 500)
        # False positive filter: skip SPA catch-alls
        if echo "$content" | grep -qiE 'DB_|APP_|_KEY|_SECRET|password|mysql|\[core\]|PHP Version|CREATE TABLE'; then
          echo "- Source leak: /$path (VERIFIED)" >> "$OUTDIR/findings/${domain}_findings.md"
        fi
      fi
    done
  ) &
  # Limit to 20 parallel workers
  while [[ $(jobs -r | wc -l) -ge 20 ]]; do sleep 0.5; done
done < $OUTDIR/urls.txt
wait
```

### Phase 4 — Consolidation

```bash
# Generate summary
echo "## Mass Recon Summary" > $OUTDIR/mass_summary.md
echo "" >> $OUTDIR/mass_summary.md
for f in $OUTDIR/findings/*_findings.md; do
  domain=$(basename "$f" _findings.md)
  criticals=$(grep -c "CRITICAL\|CREDENTIAL REFLECTION\|XMLRPC: OPEN\|Source leak: VERIFIED" "$f" || true)
  [[ "$criticals" -gt 0 ]] && echo "- **$domain**: $criticals findings" >> $OUTDIR/mass_summary.md
done

# Rank targets by finding count
grep "^\- \*\*" $OUTDIR/mass_summary.md | sort -t: -k2 -rn | head -20
```

## Production Scanner (Python — parallel_batch.py pattern)

The production-proven approach uses `concurrent.futures.ThreadPoolExecutor` with 20 workers. Each worker calls curl via `subprocess.run`. This is 10x faster than bash `while` loops.

```python
import concurrent.futures, subprocess, json

def curl_code(url, timeout=8):
    cmd = ["curl", "-sk", "-m", str(timeout), "-o", "/dev/null", "-w", "%{http_code}", url]
    r = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, timeout=timeout+5)
    return r.stdout.decode().strip()

def test_target(domain):
    # Determine protocol
    proto = None
    for p in ["https", "http"]:
        code = curl_code(f"{p}://{domain}/")
        if code not in ["000", ""]: proto = p; break
    if not proto: return None

    # WP detection (v2 strict: check login OR json)
    login_code = curl_code(f"{proto}://{domain}/wp-login.php")
    json_code = curl_code(f"{proto}://{domain}/wp-json/")
    is_wp = login_code not in ["000","404",""] or json_code not in ["000","404",""]

    if not is_wp: return {"domain":domain, "is_wp":False}

    score = 1  # WordPress detected
    findings = ["wordpress"]

    # Users (v2 pattern: parse JSON, check list length)
    body, _ = curl_raw(f"{proto}://{domain}/wp-json/wp/v2/users")
    try:
        data = json.loads(body.decode())
        if isinstance(data, list) and len(data) > 0:
            findings.append(f"wp_users_{len(data)}")
            score += 2
    except: pass

    # CORS (v2 pattern: explicit -I header check)
    cmd = ["curl","-sk","-m","8","-I","-H","Origin: https://evil.com",
           f"{proto}://{domain}/wp-json/wp/v2/users"]
    r = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, timeout=10)
    hdrs = r.stdout.decode().lower()
    acao = [l.split(":",1)[1].strip() for l in hdrs.split('\n') if 'access-control-allow-origin:' in l]
    acac = [l.split(":",1)[1].strip() for l in hdrs.split('\n') if 'access-control-allow-credentials:' in l]
    if acao and "evil.com" in acao[0] and acac and acac[0] == "true":
        findings.append("cors_credentialed")
        score += 3

    # XMLRPC (v2 pattern: system.listMethods, check for multicall string)
    xml = '<?xml version="1.0"?><methodCall><methodName>system.listMethods</methodName></methodCall>'
    body, _ = curl_raw(f"{proto}://{domain}/xmlrpc.php", method="POST", data=xml)
    txt = body.decode()
    if "system.multicall" in txt:
        findings.append("xmlrpc_multicall")
        score += 3
    elif "methodName" in txt:
        findings.append("xmlrpc_active")

    # Open registration (v2 pattern: three-string check avoids false positives)
    body, _ = curl_raw(f"{proto}://{domain}/wp-login.php?action=register")
    rt = body.decode().lower()
    if "register" in rt and "user_login" in rt and "wp-submit" in rt:
        findings.append("registration_open")
        score += 2

    # Severity (v2 thresholds: >=8 CRITICAL, >=5 HIGH, >=3 MEDIUM, >=1 LOW)
    if score >= 8: severity = "CRITICAL"
    elif score >= 5: severity = "HIGH"
    elif score >= 3: severity = "MEDIUM"
    elif score >= 1: severity = "LOW"
    else: severity = "NONE"

    return {"domain":domain, "severity":severity, "score":score, "findings":findings}

# Run with ThreadPoolExecutor
targets = [(d.strip(), s.strip()) for line in open("targets.txt") if (p := line.split("|")) and (d:=p[0]) and (s:=p[-1] if len(p)>2 else "unknown")]
with concurrent.futures.ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=20) as ex:
    futures = {ex.submit(test_target, t[0]): t for t in targets}
    for f in concurrent.futures.as_completed(futures):
        r = f.result()
        if r and r.get("score",0) > 0:
            print(f"[{r['severity']:>8}] {r['domain']:40s} | {r['score']:2d} | {', '.join(r['findings'])}")
```

## Pitfalls

- **SPA catch-all false positives:** Single-page apps return 200 for every path. Always verify `.env` has `DB_`/`APP_`/`_KEY`/`_SECRET` patterns; `.git/config` has `[core]`; SQL files have `CREATE TABLE`/`INSERT INTO`. Skip bodies with `<html` or `<script` in first 100 chars.
- **Cloudflare/WAF blocking:** httpx may show tech as "Cloudflare" but WP is behind it. Try HTTP/1.0 for WP Engine-hosted sites: `curl --max-time 30 --connect-timeout 10 -sk --http1.0 "https://TARGET/wp-json/..."`
- **Rate limiting:** WP Engine and Hostinger throttle after ~50 requests. Use 2-4s jitter between requests. Chrome/125 UA has 0% block rate; curl/8.4 UA has 5% block rate; Python urllib has 15%.
- **WordPress on subpaths:** Check justified candidates such as `/blog/` and
  `/wp/` in addition to the root; secondary installations can have different
  versions and controls.
- **Non-standard XMLRPC paths:** Some hosts rename xmlrpc.php. Verify with `system.listMethods` (not just HTTP 200) — look for `<string>` tags in response XML.
- **Registration form false positives:** Many sites show login form on `?action=register` without actually allowing registration. The v2 check requires ALL THREE strings: `register` + `user_login` + `wp-submit`.

## Real-World Results (from 600+ US targets)

| Finding | Frequency | Best Sector |
|---------|-----------|-------------|
| WP user enumeration | ~9% (55/600) | Landscaping, Law Firms |
| Sensitive files (3+) | ~7% (41 sites) | Auto Body, Window Cleaning |
| CORS credential reflection | ~3.3% (20+ sites) | Law Firms, Real Estate |
| XMLRPC system.multicall | ~1.7% (10+ sites) | HVAC, Landscaping |
| PHPInfo/info.php exposed | ~1.7% (~10 sites) | Dental, Gyms |
| MySQL 3306 exposed | 0.17% (1 site) | Healthcare SaaS |

WordPress = 36.5% of all US SMB targets. All CORS/XMLRPC vulns occur EXCLUSIVELY on WordPress.

## Verification

- Every CORS finding must show `Access-Control-Allow-Credentials: true` in curl `-I` response headers.
- Every source leak must pass content verification (not just HTTP 200). Skip HTML/SPA responses.
- Every XMLRPC finding must have `system.listMethods` response containing `<string>` method names.
- Score targets with v2 thresholds: WP=+1, users (+2), CORS=+3, XMLRPC multicall=+3, open reg=+2. Score >=6 = deep-dive candidate (Phase 3).