MNS Fingerprint WordPress Plugin 8.3.0

MNS Fingerprint (often referred to as the WordPress Fingerprint Checksum Calculator) is a specialized security and integrity utility for WordPress. It is primarily used to generate a "digital fingerprint" for every file within your WordPress installation to ensure they have not been tampered with by hackers or malicious scripts.

Unlike standard malware scanners that look for "known" bad code, MNS Fingerprint focuses on Integrity Monitoring—identifying if a file has changed at all from its original state.

## Key Features

Multi-Algorithm Support: You can choose between different cryptographic hash functions to calculate your site's fingerprint:

MD5: Fast, good for basic checks.

SHA-1: A balance of speed and security.

SHA-256: High-security standard for maximum integrity assurance.

Bulk Checksum Calculation: With one click, the plugin scans your entire directory (Core, Plugins, and Themes) and assigns a unique hash to every file.

CSV Export: You can export the entire list of file fingerprints as a .csv file. This allows you to keep an "offline" record of your site's healthy state.

Integrity Comparison: If you suspect a hack, you can run the calculator again and compare the new CSV with your "clean" master copy to pinpoint exactly which file was modified.

Resource Management: Designed to be "lightweight," it manages memory usage during the scan to prevent crashing on servers with large file counts or limited resources.

### Why Use a Fingerprint Plugin?

Detect Zero-Day Exploits: Standard scanners might miss brand-new malware code, but they cannot hide from a checksum change. If a single character is added to a plugin file, the fingerprint will change.

Verify Plugin Updates: Ensure that an update was downloaded and installed correctly without corruption.

Audit Trail: Ideal for developers who need to verify that a client or another user hasn't manually edited core or plugin files.

### How to Use MNS Fingerprint

Initial Scan: Install and activate the plugin. Go to the settings panel and click "Calculate Checksums and Download ZIP."

Store Safely: Keep the resulting ZIP/CSV file on your local computer (not on the server). This is your "clean" snapshot.

The Audit: If your site starts behaving strangely, run the scan again.

Compare: Use a tool like Excel or a "Diff Checker" to see if any filenames now have different checksums.

Action: If a checksum for a plugin like Contact Form 7 has changed but you didn't update it, delete that plugin folder and reinstall a fresh copy from WordPress.org.

### Technical Tip

While this plugin is excellent for detecting changes, it does not fix them. It is best used as part of a security stack alongside a Firewall (like Wordfence) and a regular Backup solution (like UpdraftPlus).

Would you like me to show you how to compare two CSV files using a simple command-line tool or Excel to find changed files quickly?