If you think about all the Content Management Systems that are available today, then undoubtedly WordPress will emerge as the most popular platform. At present, there are at least some 75 million websites that are using WordPress. Though it is an open-source platform, even some big brands including MTV News and BBC America use it. With such popular names associated with WordPress, one can be sure that it not just a popular source but also a very reliable one. However, in recent times this reliability has been put to question with questions raised over the security and security updates of the WordPress sites.
Table of Contents
WordPress site at the risk of Hackers
With the increased instances of hacking everywhere on the Internet, security has become a primary concern for the majority of people. In fact, all the sites that are present on the Internet are prone to hacking in one form or the other. Even the WordPress sites have no respite in this regard, as more and more hackers are making it their common target.
If you are wondering whether there is any particular reason behind the increased number of attacks on the WordPress sites, in particular, the answer may be simply found in the numbers. Being one of the most popular content management systems it is the home of millions of websites spread all across the globe. Thus the hackers are out to make use of any loophole that they may find in these sites and find their way through them.
Need for Maintenance of your WordPress sites
A common reason why the hackers are able to break through the WordPress Sites or any other sites is the fact that the people who manage it do not maintain it properly.
If you have noticed, you will note that almost every two months there is a new update that is released by WordPress. This is because the internet is a world of fast changes. With new features and malware being created every few minutes across the world, it becomes important on the part of the website owner to remain ahead of the changes.
Thus, it is important to understand that it is not just enough to have a website but you must also maintain it in the form of incorporating the right security updates at the right time.
Your site can be a ‘mine’ of information for the hackers
A common problem faced with many of the WordPress Website owners is that they feel just because their website is not dealing with money as such, they are outside the purview of the hackers. But what needs to be understood here is that the motive behind hacking is not the same for all the hackers.
Crucial and confidential information can get lost
While it may be true that a majority of hackers are looking for ways to get to your money, there may be another group whose main motivation is to collect the various intimate information that one can find stored on your website.
In fact, not just your own information, even the information related to your clients such as their birth dates or email addresses is fed into the websites. Hackers try to make their way into these information sets and use them for various purposes according to their own needs. Some hackers even hack sites to send out spam emails or use it as a form of hosting environment in order to attack the other servers that are there. So it becomes clear from here that no site is beyond the eyes of the hackers.
As soon as they find any website for which the security update has not been done or there are loopholes in site design, they use them in order to enter the website and steal all the confidential data.
Keeping Your WordPress Site Updated is the key
The reason such frequent updates are suggested for WordPress stems from the fact that the security experts constantly study the various codes and suggest appropriate fixes with security updates.
Every time there is any kind of security breach that seems to raise alarm or is reported to the WordPress team, they immediately begin to work on it and try to understand the reason behind the vulnerability. Immediately security updates are sent to you so as to tackle the problem.
If you shy away from getting the security updates, chances are that you will become the next victim of the hackers.
Updates do not affect the Website
If you feel that getting a new update will undo all the hard work that you have put into the present website, then worry not! It is not so. With every new update, the looks and features may change, but the information that you have already fed into your website remains the same.
If you think that the updated features will make it difficult for you to manage your website, then be rest assured as you will get acquainted with the new features in no time. Further, each update is done in order to make your website more secure, or fix any bugs or ease up the process of working your way through the site. So you can get new security updates without a second thought and enjoy the enhanced features.
Additional benefits
Keeping your website well maintained and updated is not just important from the security aspect but for other additional benefits as well. With every update, you can enjoy a far more enhanced set of features that are in keeping with the present internet trends. Apart from that you also get better performance both in terms of maintenance as well as the users’ end and it increases the speed of your site as well.
Final thoughts
So now that you are aware of the various advantages, improve the performance of your WordPress Websites by getting the right security updates from time to time. A small step towards updating your site will help you tighten its security to a great extent.