Have you ever heard that 4,700,000 WordPress sites fall victim to hacking yearly?
WordPress is known to be a relatively safe content management system (CMS), but due to its popularity, it is also highly targeted by hackers. If your site becomes a target of an attack, it could harm your reputation and affect your sales performance. Safeguarding your WordPress website is essential for maintaining trust and loyalty amongst your clients.
In this guide, you will learn:
- The 7 most frequent WordPress security risks that your website often faces.
- The 16 WordPress security best practices to safeguard your website.
- What to do if you get hacked.
Top 7 WordPress Security Issues
First things first: what are the different security issues targeting WordPress? According to Jetpack, weak user credentials and outdated plugins are the main entry points for hackers – but there’s more. We’ve listed below the 7 primary security threats facing WordPress sites today, with stats and real-world examples.
1. Vulnerabilities in Plugins
If you’re running inactive or outdated plugins on your WordPress website, remember that they might not include the latest security updates provided by the developers. Developers of themes and plugins frequently release updates to address vulnerabilities, but failing to use the versions could expose your site to attacks.
📈 Stats:
- According to a recent analysis by Patchstack, 97% of WordPress security problems are caused by plugins.
- Additionally, MelaPress found that only 30% of WordPress users have auto-updates activated on their websites.
💡 Example: In 2023, serious issues were discovered in plugins such as WP Fastest Cache and Essential Add-ons for Elementor. Developers urged users to update to the latest version as soon as possible.
