For years, WordPress sites have been popular with webmasters, because of its easy to use nature and the ability to quickly transfer sites via hosted services. Unfortunately, hundreds of WordPress sites recently fell victim to a recently discovered backdoor.
The vulnerability, which affects WordPress versions 5.1 through 5.5, allows malicious actors to inject malicious code onto sites, giving those actors the ability to access any blog posts and changes made to the site.
The backdoor can also be used to inject malware, which may include anything from ransomware to cryptocurrency miners. Additionally, the backdoor allows for data theft, such as email addresses, usernames and passwords, as well as hijacking a website.
To make matters worse, the backdoor was discovered by security professionals only after the malicious code had already been injected into hundreds of WordPress sites. The backdoor is believed to have been inserted by a vulnerability that was present for more than a year and first reported in April 2020.
Fortunately, the vulnerability can be patched by installing the latest WordPress version or by manually applying the latest security updates. It’s also important to note that WordPress users should take additional security measures, such as regularly backing up their WordPress sites and ensuring they’re always running the latest versions of plugins and themes, to prevent further malicious attacks.
With the emergence of this backdoor, it is more important than ever for WordPress users to remain vigilant and protect their sites from any potential malicious actors. By taking the appropriate steps now, WordPress users can prevent their sites from falling victim to this and other similar threats in the future.
