Install Steps for WPScan on Ubuntu

If Git is not installed, install it first. Git allows you to clone and update the WPScan repository.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install git -y

Install Prerequisites

WPScan requires several dependencies:

sudo apt-get install libcurl4-openssl-dev libxml2 libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev ruby-dev build-essential libgmp-dev zlib1g-dev -y

Make sure Ruby is installed:

ruby -v

If needed:

sudo apt-get install ruby-full -y

Clone WPScan Repository

Clone the official WPScan repository:

git clone https://github.com/wpscanteam/wpscan.git

Move into the directory:

cd wpscan

Install required Ruby gems:

sudo gem install bundler
bundle install --without test development

Launch WPScan

Run WPScan using Ruby:

ruby wpscan.rb

You should see the WPScan banner displayed in the terminal.

Examples

Help menu:

ruby wpscan.rb --help

Basic scan:

ruby wpscan.rb --url https://www.example.com

Enumerate plugins:

ruby wpscan.rb --url https://www.example.com --enumerate p

Enumerate themes:

ruby wpscan.rb --url https://www.example.com --enumerate t

Enumerate users:

ruby wpscan.rb --url https://www.example.com --enumerate u

Use HTTP proxy:

ruby wpscan.rb --url https://www.example.com --proxy 127.0.0.1:8118

Use SOCKS5 proxy:

ruby wpscan.rb --url https://www.example.com --proxy socks5://127.0.0.1:9000

Custom content directory:

ruby wpscan.rb -u https://www.example.com --wp-content-dir custom-content

Custom plugins directory:

ruby wpscan.rb -u https://www.example.com --wp-plugins-dir wp-content/custom-plugins

Debug output:

ruby wpscan.rb --url https://www.example.com --debug-output 2>debug.log

Updating WPScan

WPScan should be updated regularly to keep vulnerability signatures current.

From inside the installation directory:

cd wpscan
git pull

Note

Only scan websites you own or have explicit permission to test. Unauthorized scanning may violate laws or platform policies.

Read the full article: https://luckyy.uk/how-to-install-wpscan-on-linux-2026/