One doesn’t have to be too terribly old to have witnessed the evolution of home security. Back in the day, neighbors would leave an extra key under a mat or a flower pot just in case they locked themselves out or needed help from a neighbor that required access. Well, the criminals smartened up and this became a ‘known vulnerability’.
In 1984, George Cleveland and Mary Ellen Enterprises filed for a patent for devices that look like common objects (rocks), but cleverly hide your house key. The patent number is US 4531635 A and was published in 1985. Security evolved in reaction to the ‘known vulnerability’.
Fast forward to now and let’s apply the theory to WordPress. WordPress is open source which means it is supported by a large community of developers, researchers, and security experts. They give their time to watch your ‘house’ – looking for potential security issues and alerting the world before criminals take advantage of you. The most important thing you can do to stay secure is listen and act. When they speak, you listen. When they release updates, you update.
They are talking loudly now which means it is time to sit up and take notice. WordPress has announced a serious vulnerability that potentially allows hackers to perform SQL injections on your site. What does that mean in human terms? Nefarious folks running scripts can insert content into your database and mess with your site. Not good!
They strongly encourage updating to version 4.8.3 as soon as possible.
At Fíonta, we listen and we act on behalf of our clients. Our team has already prioritized WordPress sites in our monthly maintenance and support to ensure our customers are safe. Let us help keep you safe – it’s what we do.