WordPress is a wonderful piece of software that allows you tons of freedom and control over your website. This modern and complex system allows you to edit your website without the need to write or learn one line of code!
With all the benefits and features WordPress provides at your fingertips, it is no surprise that WordPress is the most popular software powering almost 60% of all websites worldwide. [1]
However, because of its popularity (and just like anything popular), there will be “bad guys” that will try to exploit it for their own gains. I’m talking about virus writers, hackers, and malware creators. They do this because with one effective virus, they can affect millions and millions of websites.
Not keeping your website up-to-date can be costly. When Google finds out that your website has been compromised, they negatively lower SEO. They also flag your website on the search result page (and it takes a long time to get Google to remove it) for all to see.
Common browsers such as Firefox, Google Chrome, and Internet Explorer will warn visitors with a bright red notice that the site they are about to visit has been compromised.
Or one day you wake up to find that your website is now displaying pharmaceutical ads.
This is definitely not a good public face you want to show your customers! Once a website has been compromised, it is possible that the damage is irreversible or the cost to fix the website outweighs the cost of getting a new website built! Essentially your website is considered “totaled” just like a car in a major car accident.
It doesn’t matter if you have a small website or get very little traffic. These “bad guys” run auto-scanning software on the Internet for vulnerable websites and could care-less how prominent a website is. Any website they can hack (easily with a click of a button) gets them one step closer to their goal.[3] So it’s not a matter of if your website will get hacked, its when. Just know that 30,000 websites get hacked a day! [4]
But don’t be alarmed! The thousands of contributors that make WordPress possible, understands that no software is ever 100% secure. WordPress is a ”living” software and it continues to evolve. Evolving not just for the sake of fixing security issues, but also to stay modern with new features and enhancements. Technology typically has a shelf-life of only 6 months before it becomes outdated. So because of this, WordPress typically release updates monthly.[2] This is strictly speaking about the core WordPress software alone. Your website probably has, in addition to WordPress, multiple third-party plugins installed for additional functionality. Typically at least 3-4 plugins are installed per website. Just like WordPress, the creators of these plugins receive constant updates too!
By now, you see the importance of keeping your WordPress software and third-party plugins up-to-date. However, common reasons why people don’t upgrade include:
- Don’t know how.
- Don’t have time.
- They forget.
- Afraid they might break something.
- Afraid the update is not backwards compatible and may break something.
As the popularity of WordPress usage rises, the need to stay current is more important then ever. Webvolution can help your website stay current and help lower the chances of your website being compromised. We offer maintenance and security packages that will fit most people’s budget. Contact us for more information.
[1] http://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_management/all
[2] https://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Versions
[3] https://blog.sucuri.net/2015/02/why-websites-get-hacked.html
[4] http://www.forbes.com/sites/jameslyne/2013/09/06/30000-web-sites-hacked-a-day-how-do-you-host-yours/#301ce5f43a8c