I’d like to share something that I’ve learned these past few months. First of all, if you are using a free WordPress theme you’ll want to make sure you got it from a legitimate site. In doing research for a new design for work, I came across a “free” theme called ‘Coffee Break.’ As it turns out, it was posted on a site that I then found out didn’t have the authority to post it. ‘Coffee Break‘ is a cool theme from Woo Themes and much to my chagrin is not free.

Woo Themes has a reasonable pricing scheme, has quality products and good service. These other sites take these great themes and rework parts of them to rebrand them as their own. What users may not realize is that bad stuff can happen as a result of using these rebranded themes. Other scripts and potentially malicious code can be introduced without your knowledge. While this didn’t happen to us, here are a few things to look for.

One piece of code that is usually a dead giveaway is the footer.php code. If it isn’t recognizable PHP code but instead resembles a long string of numbers and letters, compiled code, then it probably isn’t a legitimate theme.

Also, randomly check some of the file paths for images. If they point to a remote server, it probably isn’t a legit theme.

Lastly, do a check of the scripts that are included with the theme. If there are some scripts that aren’t identifiable, do some research. Check the web for the filename, open the code to see if there are any indications as to what it does, see where in the theme it is called. Don’t run the theme blindly or you may open yourself up to more problems than the cost of a legitimate theme would cost.

Oh, in case you are wondering what happened to the copy of ‘Coffee Break‘ I had downloaded. Well, I deleted the theme…reluctantly, but it was deleted. I also notified Woo Themes about the site that was offering their theme for free. While I hate snitching, I hate having to sort out other potential problems, legal and otherwise. Really, tweaking themes can be challenging enough and it doesn’t make sense to undermine your reputation, your site, your security just to save a few bucks.

Besides, legitimate sites have more resources available to you should you have questions or issues with a theme. They know their themes and want you to be happy with their products.

Merry Christmas!