Findings
Shield keeps a separate list for each kind of finding: Malware, Vulnerabilities, File integrity and Security Check.
Status
Section titled “Status”Every finding is in one of three states:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Open | Needs attention. |
| Resolved | It was fixed. |
| Dismissed | It doesn’t apply to you. |
Dismiss a finding that isn’t relevant, for example a known and accepted setting, so it stops counting against the site. Shield tells you what’s wrong and how serious it is, but fixing it is up to you or your developer.
Severity
Section titled “Severity”Malware and vulnerability findings carry a severity of critical, high, medium or low. Vulnerabilities can also be rated none.
Vulnerabilities in detail
Section titled “Vulnerabilities in detail”A vulnerability finding says whether it affects the core, a plugin or theme, or something unclassified, and includes fix guidance. Matches are marked exact when Shield is sure the version is affected, and heuristic when it’s a likely match that you should confirm.