Thread:Project:Support desk/Protected variable styles of includes/OutputPage.php vs. extension using it/reply (8)

But you should think about, that the maintainer of the code doesn't changed the visibility without any thoughts about it :) Maybe the variable changes unexpectedly if something happens, or will be set to null somewhere or will be renamed in a future version of the code. A private/protected variable is, mostly, private or protected because it shouldn't be (needed) to use outside the class (private) or in classes, that inherits this class.

But, like Ciencia Al Poder wrote, not really a security risk :)