Introduction
If you're a WordPress user, it's important to know that your website is at risk of being hacked. In fact, there are more than 50 million websites on the internet that are currently running with outdated versions of WordPress and other applications.
This article will help you understand what security updates are and why they're so important for your website.
What is a Plugin?
A plugin is a tool that adds functionality to your WordPress website. It can do anything from adding social sharing buttons to your site, to creating galleries of images and videos.
There are many different types of plugins available:
Social Media Plugins - These allow you to add buttons for sharing content on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter directly into posts or pages on your website. They're very useful if you want people visiting your site to be able to share what they've read with their friends online! Some examples include Jetpack (available in the WordPress plugin repository) or Shareaholic (available here).
Page Builder Plugins - These allow users with certain privileges (usually editors) within their account settings section access build custom layouts using drag-and-drop interfaces without having any coding knowledge whatsoever! This makes it much easier than having someone write code manually every time they want something new added onto their page(s). Some examples include Divi Builder ($89), Visual Composer ($25), Elementor ($49)
What is a Theme?
A theme is a collection of files that control the look and feel of your website. It can include HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. Themes are usually designed around a specific purpose (such as business or blogging) and they're often used in conjunction with plugins to add functionality to your site.
There are two types of themes: free and premium ones. Free themes are available on WordPress' official repository, but they may not be updated as frequently as premium ones because they don't have any support from their developers or companies behind them. Premium themes cost money--usually between $50-$200--and come with customer support if you need help using it or modifying its code base in some way (for example, adding custom CSS).
Updating Plugins
Updating plugins is a simple process, but it's important to do it regularly. The first step is to go to your WordPress dashboard and click the Plugins tab at the top of your screen.
Once you're on this page, simply search for all installed plugins that need updating by typing "update" into the search bar at the top of the page (you can also use filters if you want to narrow down which ones need updating). You'll see a list of all available updates--if there are any available updates for your plugins, they will be listed here with an Update button next to them! Clicking on this button will update those specific items immediately without having to manually download new versions from their websites or elsewhere online before installing them again on your site; this saves time and ensures that everything goes smoothly when making changes like these."
Updating Themes
Updating your themes is just as important as updating plugins. If you are using a premium theme, it's likely that the developers will release updates to fix bugs and make improvements to the code.
If you're not sure how to update your theme, follow these steps:
Log into WordPress Dashboard
Go to Appearance > Themes (or click on "Appearance" in your sidebar)
Click on "Installed Themes" at the top of this page
Click on "Updates Available" next to any themes that need updating
You can also check for updates by going directly into each individual theme's page and clicking "Update Now."
Common Security Issues
Weak passwords. This is the most common security issue, but it's also one of the easiest to fix. Make sure your passwords are strong and unique for each account--and don't use the same password across multiple sites or services!
Vulnerable plugins and themes. Plugins and themes can contain vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit to gain access to your site or server, so it's important to keep them updated as new versions become available (which happens automatically if you use WordPress). You should also look into disabling any plugins that aren't necessary for running your website--they may be slowing down performance or exposing vulnerabilities themselves!
Outdated software versions on servers/hosting providers (for example: WordPress 4.9+). If there are known security flaws in older versions of software like PHP 7+, make sure they're patched before moving onto newer ones!
Best Practices for Security
There are a few things you can do to keep your WordPress website secure. The first is to make sure that you're keeping all of your plugins and themes up-to-date. This will help ensure that any vulnerabilities in either one are patched quickly, so hackers can't exploit them.
Secondly, it's important to use a secure hosting platform when setting up your site in the first place. This means using hosting providers like SiteGround or InMotion Hosting who offer reliable security features like malware scanning, firewalls and intrusion detection systems (IDS).
Tools to Monitor Security
There are a number of tools you can use to monitor the security of your WordPress website.
Security plugins: These plugins will check for and fix any issues with your site, such as outdated plugins or themes. They also offer other features like protection against brute force attacks and spam comments.
Online security scanners: These services scan websites for vulnerabilities and provide reports on what needs fixing before they're exploited by hackers. Some are free while others charge a fee based on how many scans you want done at once or per month/year (the latter option is usually more expensive).
Malware scanners: These programs scan websites for malware infections such as viruses, trojans, worms etc., which can harm visitors' computers if they visit infected sites by infecting their computers through malicious code hidden within them (known as "drive-by downloads").
Backups and Recovery
Backups and Recovery
How to backup and restore your website
Best practices for backups
Recovering from a security breach
Conclusion
In this article, we have covered the importance of WordPress security and how to keep your website secure.
We hope that this guide helps you keep your site safe from hackers and other threats. If you have any questions or comments on our recommendations, please leave them below!
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