How to fix info disclosure server on WordPress.org

Steps for WordPress.org

1. The fix is at the web server layer, not inside WordPress core or a theme.
2. For Apache: add `Header unset Server` to your `.htaccess` or virtual host config (requires `mod_headers`). For nginx: add `server_tokens off;` to your `nginx.conf` server block.
3. Use the 'HTTP Headers' plugin (Settings → HTTP Headers → Response Headers) to remove the `Server` header without editing server config files directly.
4. Verify with browser DevTools (F12 → Network → any request → Response Headers) that `Server` is absent or shows no version string.

What is info disclosure server?

Every time a visitor's browser (or a hacker's scanner) requests a page from your store, your web server sends back a collection of HTTP headers alongside the page content. One of these is the `Server` header — for example, `Server: nginx/1.25.5` or `Server: Apache/2.4.58 (Ubuntu)`. This header broadcasts exactly which server software you are running and, critically, which version. It is visible to anyone using a browser's developer tools, a command-line tool like `curl`, or an automated vulnerability scanner. Hiding or removing it takes only a small configuration change and immediately stops your server from volunteering this information.

Attackers routinely scan millions of websites, harvest version numbers from `Server` headers, and then look up known CVEs (publicly disclosed vulnerabilities) for that exact software version. If your server announces `nginx/1.25.5`, a malicious actor instantly knows which published exploits to try — no guesswork required. Removing the header does not make your server invulnerable, but it eliminates the easiest first step in a targeted attack, increasing the cost and effort for an adversary. This is classified under OWASP A05:2021 Security Misconfiguration — one of the most common causes of real-world breaches. Beyond security, some enterprise procurement and compliance processes (PCI-DSS, ISO 27001) explicitly flag verbose server banners as a finding that must be remediated before certification.

See the complete Info disclosure server guide for every platform and the full background.