The internet is always changing and so should any quality website platform. WordPress is one of the most secure platforms available but to keep it secure it needs to be updated from time to time, which is just what happened recently when the WordPress team launched their 4.2.3 update.
In this article we will look at what the latest change did and how you can update your site, if it hasn’t already been updated automatically.
What’s In The Update
The main change in the new update is a change to the code that closes a loophole that was recently discovered. The loophole specifically related to what are known as HTML shortcodes, used in website programming to simplify coding and speed up processing. This security vulnerability has now been closed in the latest versions but it could still be used by hackers to break into and use outdated exposed sites in malicious ways. While threats like this will only ever affect a small minority of exposed sites every website owner should still do what they can to protect their site.
Beyond this main update version 4.2.3 also includes dozens of smaller changes that are designed to help move WordPress forward. If you would like to see an in-depth list of changes you can read one on the official WordPress site.
Updating Your Site
The thought of updating your site may seem daunting but it doesn’t have to be with WordPress. If your site was created or updated recently then it should be set up to automatically update when it comes to security updates, in which case your main concern should be checking your site to make sure the update hasn’t negatively impacted usability.
Even if you haven’t updated your site, or if you want to take a more hand-on approach to updating, then it’s still easy to get your site up to speed. When you get a message from the WordPress team you should see it on your Admin Screen when you log into the site. Once you get the message you just need to click on it and go through the simple process until you click a button that says “Update Now,” which will automatically update your site with just one click.
That’s really all you need to do, but if you are more technically inclined it is still possible to manually update WordPress. This approach is only really useful for people who have been altering core files that would be replaced by an automatic update, for 99% of WordPress users the one-click update is all that is needed.
The Importance of Updating Your Site
The main thing every website owner should take away from the latest news and update is the importance of being proactive about online security. When you have WordPress you also have the WordPress team working around the clock to try and keep the platform as safe as possible, but none of that work will help you if you don’t make sure that your site is actually being updated.
As previously mentioned the latest WordPress versions should install these kinds of crucial updates automatically but you don’t want to just assume that it’s working. Take the time to log onto your control panel and check the version of WordPress your site is running, if it’s up to date then you can relax. If it isn’t then you should only need to go through the simple automatic-installation process to get your site up to speed in just minutes.
To keep your site as safe as possible make sure you know that it’s updated. You can also read more on the subject of website security, the more important your site is the more careful you want to be about it. While the WordPress team does plenty to keep its platform safe the more steps you take above what’s standard will drastically increase your site’s security.
