It is not a secret to anyone that 26% of the world’s website population is powered by WordPress, and 60% of the entire global count runs on WordPress CMS. This has clearly revealed that WordPress has a wider reach over the net. It is a big global community that is continuously growing – an unstoppable force the powers more than ¼ of the entire internet. However, with this large user-base, it is also undeniable that it attracts the attention of the hackers – making WordPress websites prone to hacking incidents.

Now the question that website owners ask is, is WordPress still secure?

The answer is YES.

Surely most people will disagree but WordPress is still secured – diligence is the key for this.

What Constitute WordPress?

There are three elements of WordPress namely: the core code which makes up the WordPress install, the themes which determine how sites look and how it will function, and plugins which are small applications that extend WordPress in interesting ways.

What Causes Hacking Incidents?

Via WordPress.org, themes and plugins are made available from many other sources, that at some point, may even come from unscrupulous hackers who get their hands on commercial themes and embedded malware in them. The worse thing in this scheme is that these themes and plugins are given away online to people willing to get them for free. And that is where the threat lies. Because of the enormous size of the WordPress installed base and the complexity of its ecosystem, vulnerabilities could be just lying in a corner waiting for malicious activities to find them.

Why do We say It is Secured?

The core is maintained by a large group of volunteers who are incredibly good at their craft. These are coders and developers who secured the community by updating the system’s codes, themes and even plugins from vulnerabilities every now and then.

Like with app stores, WordPress sources take some measurable care in what is listed for users to use. Though there may have been unscrupulous themes on the internet, it is still safer to get from the main community. Themes on WordPress.org go through a testing process and plugins go through an initial vetting before they’re first allowed to be posted.

Is WordPress Still Trustworthy?

According to ZDNet.com, WordPress is still trustworthy. However, if you would really like to make the most out of your site and keep is secured, there are still caveats that go with using WordPress.

• If you are not keen or well versed with web maintenance, you might want to have it hosted via WordPress.com.
• If you opt for freedom in customizing your website but couldn’t do web maintenance, you can hire someone who can maintain the website professionally, and who will update it regularly from themes to plugins.
• As much as possible, refrain from downloading commercial plugins or themes from sketchy source especially those which you can get for free.
• If you customized your WordPress with WordPress.org, you also need to make sure that you are hosting your website securely with a trusted hosting server.

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Despite the issues about the security of WordPress, it is still undeniable that it is probably one of the best platforms for website available. Again, all it takes to secure your WordPress is diligence or trusting service providers who specialize in creating WordPress-based websites.

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