If you have a website it’s incredibly important to keep it up-to-date. You might be thinking “But my website is so simple, what is there to update?!?” WordPress, plugins and even your website’s theme are all software, not much different from what powers your computer or iPhone. And just like on your phone, your website has access to regular updates that add new features and enhance security.
But Why Would Someone Want To Hack My Website
Hackers don’t care about you or your business. There are 4 main reasons to hack a website
- Because they can. That’s it. It’s no different than spray painting a wall or kicking over a garbage can on the street.
- To disable your website and hold it for ransom. This is a quick and easy way to make some cash.
- To install malware that turns your website into a bot, using it to send emails and hack other websites. Not only does this slow down your website, it can also force your web host to shut it down.
- To add malware filled pages to your website and then direct traffic to those pages. This is how phishing attacks work.
A Few Statistics
On average 30,000 new websites are hacked every day1
Hackers create 300,000 new pieces of malware daily1
87% of websites have mid-level weaknesses1
Keeping Your Website Secure
WordPress, plugins and your website’s theme are complicated pieces of software and may contain security vulnerabilities. Developers are constantly finding vulnerabilities and fixing holes to make their software as secure as it possibly can be.
Hackers count on people not taking the time to update the software that powers their websites. In fact, according to WebARX, 98% of WordPress vulnerabilities are actually related to plugins, not WordPress itself1.
There’s no foolproof way of keeping ahead of hackers – if hackers can steal login information for 3 billion Yahoo! users, they can gain access your website too. Keeping your website’s software up-to-date is the best possible way to reduce your risk of being hacked. Most hacks are about ease of intrusion. If it’s difficult, most hackers will just move on to the next website.
Updating software is easier (and cheaper) than fixing a hacked website
Squashing Bugs
Outdated website software can also make your website buggy. This can mean any number of things to the your visitors, from slow loading, broken features, missing pages or improper page rendering. And the visitor will blame you, the website owner, not the developer who created the buggy software.
Keeping all of your website’s software is up-to-date makes ensures that you have all the latest bug fixes. Again, this isn’t a guaranteed solution for a trouble-free, even the best software has bugs. This is about making sure everything runs as well as it possibly can.
Extra features
Software updates aren’t just for bug fixes and security vulnerabilities, they often come with additional features too. And if you don’t update you can’t take advantage of them. You may not even need these new features directly, but other software, like plugins or your website’s theme may rely on them to function properly.
Website Insurance
Keeping your website up-to-date is like taking out an insurance policy. It doesn’t guarantee you won’t have issues, it’s a preventative measure that can save you a lot of time and expense. If your website is hacked, it could take days or even weeks to fix, potentially costing you thousands of dollars in web developer time and in lost sales.
Local Propeller Can Help – It’s What We Do
When we run website updates, we have a time-tested process that both ensures your website is up-to-date, but it also ensures that if anything goes wrong during an update, we can restore your site instantly. We’re experts, we know WordPress inside and out, and we’ve been doing this for decades. If you’d rather not dig into the guts of your website, let us do it for you. Click here to learn more about our Website Maintenance Packages.
Learn More About Website Vulnerabilities
We really are up-to-date on this stuff. Now you can be too. Here are a few great links that discuss currently known vulnerabilities.
WordFence Weekly
WordFence Blog – Vulnerabilities
