WordPress is a high potential CMS platform with over 43% of websites built solely using this. While its vast plugin eco system, with over 60,000 plugin repository, is one of its greatest strengths, it’s also a double edge sword.
If you have ever checked the WordPress Plugin Vulnerability Report, shared almost biweekly through WordPress Newsletters, you will notice how often this platform is getting exposed to various cyber threats and security hacks.
Although WordPress is an incredibly versatile platform for building an operational website for your business, some of the plugins have reportedly put the site owners in a state of security risks. How? We’ll explore this further in this write-up.
Hence, our prime concern in creating this blog is to make you aware of the causes of these WordPress plugin vulnerabilities and how mindfully you can combat these concerns.
We have no intention to scare you, instead, to explain to you that WordPress has powerful and clear security guidelines. Nevertheless, sometimes when thousands of themes and plugins act together, the scope of potential flaws may arise.
So, let us start and understand how you can safeguard your WordPress site, protect your digital presence, and comply with data security standards, earning your customers’ trust.
Here, we’ll cover how you can mitigate the risks associated with the WordPress plugin vulnerabilities and ensure your site remains secure.
What is WordPress Plugin Vulnerability?
A WordPress plugin vulnerability is a security weakness or flaw within a WordPress plugin that can be exploited by hackers to compromise a website. These flaws are rooted mainly in the third-party plugins that may lead to unauthorised access.
Plugins are add-ons that are meant to enhance and extend the functionality of your site, but due to their open-source nature and frequent updates, they can sometimes induce coding errors, out-dated components, or insecure configurations.

These vulnerabilities can lead to various threats, including unauthorised access, data breaches, malware injections, or site defacement. Hackers often target the poorly maintained, unpatched, or widely-used plugins, making regular updates, proper configurations, and the use of reputable plugins critical to maintaining website security.
Why most WordPress gets hacked: The main causes
Do you know? WordPress sites are the most attacked, with one in every 22 minutes worldwide. But why is this happening so frequently?
[Also read: 21 most common wordpress mistakes to avoid]
There are plenty of reasons; one such reason is overlooking the security concerns that might invite the hackers to breach your security shields and exploit the vulnerabilities.
The SolidWP 2022 report mentions that 93% of the WordPress vulnerabilities are subjected to the plugins. Poorly maintained, outdated, or vulnerable plugins can expose your website to cyber threats, including malware, data breach, and downtime.
The continued usage of Abandoned Plugins also acts as an alarming concern for your website. Some plugins are permanently abandoned or removed by WordPress from its repository; they may still remain active on the websites using them.
There were 827 WordPress plugins which were abandoned in 2023 itself. These abandoned plugins work without security updates and maintenance, causing serious concerns and security threats for your site as hackers can steal information and use it for malicious activities.

The reasons also include the involvement of non-affliated WordPress developers who unknowingly create designs and plugins for WordPress vast plugin ecosystem that are not comply with the security concerns, making it exposed to vulnerabilities.
Hence, it is utmost important to understand the plugin development framework before you get into the creation of customised plugins for your website.
What are top WordPress security issues?
Let us now take a quick look at some of the major reasons that become the real cause of WordPress plugin vulnerabilities, making your website exposed to loose security concerns:
➤ Outdated Plugins and Themes: Hackers frequently exploit vulnerabilities in outdated plugins or themes that haven't been updated to fix known security flaws.
➤ Weak Passwords: Using simple or commonly used passwords makes it easy for attackers to gain access through brute force attacks.
➤ Lack of Security Measure: Sites without proper security tools like firewalls, malware scanners, or login protection are easier to target.
➤ Insecure Hosting Environments: Choosing a hosting provider with weak security protocols can expose your site to vulnerabilities, even if WordPress itself is highly secure.
➤ Unvetted Plugins or Themes: Downloading plugins or themes from untrusted sources can introduce malicious code, backdoors, or other vulnerabilities.
➤ No Regular Backups: Without regular backups, recovering from an attack becomes more challenging and time-consuming.
➤ Poor File Permissions: Incorrect file permissions can give attackers access to critical site files, leading to tampering or data theft.
➤ Phishing or Social Engineering Attacks: Hackers may trick administrators into providing login credentials through phishing emails or fake login pages.
➤ No SSL Certificate: Websites without SSL encryption are more vulnerable to data interception and man-in-the-middle attacks, especially on login pages.
Case Study: EcoTrend Australia

EcoTrend Australia, a fast-growing e-commerce store specializing in sustainable products, faced repeated security issues. Its WordPress site, powered by multiple plugins to manage inventory, SEO, and online payments, became a frequent target of cyberattacks.
The challenges faced by the company were:
➤ Malware infections, leading to site slowdowns.
➤ Customer data risks, threatening their reputation.
➤ Revenue loss from site downtime during cleanup.
The Solutions: To Address the issue, the following steps were taken:
- Plugin Audit and Cleanup: Removed unused and unsupported plugins and replaced vulnerable plugins with secure, well-maintained alternatives.
- Regular Updates and Monitoring: Set up automatic updates for critical plugins and installed a monitoring system to detect vulnerabilities in real time.
- Security Enhancements: Added a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to block malicious traffic. Along with this, enabled two-factor authentication (2FA) for admin accounts and installed a reliable security plugin to scan for malware and suspicious activities.
- Backups and Recovery: Automated daily backups to ensure quick recovery in case of future issues.
The Results: Within three months, EcoTrend Australia experienced:
- Zero Security Breaches: No malware or hacking attempts successfully penetrated the site.
- Improved Performance: Faster load times due to a leaner plugin setup.
- Enhanced Customer Trust: Reassured customers with visible security improvements, including an SSL certificate and secure payment gateways.
- Increased Revenue: No downtime meant uninterrupted business operations and improved sales.
Mastering WordPress security: 9 steps to protect your WordPess from plugin vulnerabilities

The vast library of WordPress plugins makes it one of the popular choices among developers and businesses, however, these plugins, if not secured properly, may act as a ticking time bomb for your website, inviting numerous dangers and vulnerabilities.
Looking at these threats, it is feasible to understand the methods that you can adopt to ensure a secured WordPress website for your business from plugin vulnerabilities. Let us see the 9 step process below:
Step 1: Choose Trusted Plugins from Reputable Developers
Before installing a plugin, check its developer's reputation, user review, and update history. Avoid plugins with few downloads or those not updated in over six months. Trusted developers are more likely to patch security issues promptly.
Step 2: Regularly Update Plugins
Outdates plugins are a major source of vulnerabilities. Set a schedule to check for updates regularly and apply them immediately. Use a staging environment to test updates before deploying them to your live site.
Step 3: Delete Unused Plugins
Inactive plugins can still pose a security risk if not updated. Remove plugins you no longer use to reduce your site's attack surface.
Step 4: Use Reliable Security Plugins
Inactive plugins can still pose a security risk if not updated. Remove plugins you no longer use to reduce your site's attack surface.
Step 5: Enable Automatic Updates Where Possible
For critical plugins, enabling automatic updates ensures you're always running the latest secure version. However, test auto-updates in a controlled environment to avoid compatibility issues.
Step 6: Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF)
A WAF can block malicious traffic before it reached your site. Many managed WordPress hosting providers include WAF features, or you can use third-party solutions like Cloudflare.
Step 7: Conduct Regular Security Audits
Perform periodic audits of your website to identify vulnerabilities. A WordPress development expert agency can help conduct thorough assessments to uncover and fix hidden risks.
Step 8: Restrict Plugins Installation Permissions
Limit plugin installation and updates to trusted administrators. This reduces the risk of someone accidentally installing a vulnerable or malicious plugin.
Step 9: Backup Your Site Regularly
Ensure you have a robust backup system in place. If a plugin vulnerability compromises your site, you can restore it quickly. Services like UpdraftPlus or your hosting provider's backup tool can automate this process.
#Partner with a WordPress Development Expert Agency for accessing assured security features to your site Managing plugin security and updates can be time-consuming, especially for growing businesses. Collaborating with a WordPress development expert agency ensures your site is monitored, updated, and secured by professionals who understand the complexities of the platform. |
What to do if your WordPress site has been hacked?
Your WordPress site will definitely be safe if you'll cautiously follow the security tips we mentioned here. However, if it still is being hacked, what will you do? First, don't panic!

In this section, we'll give you some actionable tips that you can swiftly follow to mitigate the bruises a hacker can bring to your site. With these steps, you can recover your site control and minimise the damage. Let us take you through these five essential steps:
#1 Take the Site Offline
Taking your WordPress site offline is the first critical step if it has been hacked. This prevents further damage, stops malicious actors from exploiting vulnerabilities, and protects your visitors from being exposed to malware or phishing schemes.
You can achieve this by placing your WordPress site in maintenance mode, which displays a temporary message to visitors while restricting access to the compromised content. Many hosting providers or security plugins, such as Wordfence or Maintenance Mode offer simple tools to enable this feature.
#2 Scan and Identify the Threat
Next is understanding more about the extent of the threat, its nature, and type to identify the damage it made or can make if not corrected timely. Hence, begin by using a trusted security plugin, such as Wordfence, Sucuri, or MalCare, to perform a comprehensive malware scan.
These tools can easily detect malicious files, unauthorised changes, backdoors, and other vulnerabilities. Beyond this, you can also review your server logs for unusual activities, such as repeating login attempts, unexpected uploads, or unfamiliar IP addresses accessing your site.
#3 Restore from a Clean Backup
Successful recovery from a clean backup after the site hack is crucial to ensure your site is now free from malicious code. Locate the most recent backup taken before the hack occurred. This should include all critical files, databases, themes, plugins, and media.
Before proceeding, ensure the backup is malware-free by scanning it with a security tool or consulting an expert. Once verified, use your hosting provider's control panel, a backup plugin like UodraftPlus or BackupBuddy, or manual restoration method via FTP and phpMyAdmin to replace the compromised site files and database.
#4 Update All Software and Reset Credentials
Hackers often exploit outdated software, such as plugins, themes, or WordPress core, to gain access, so ensuring all components are updated to their latest versions is essential for closing security gaps. Start by reviewing the plugins and themes on your site, removing any that are unsupported or no longer in use.
Equally important is resetting all credentials associated with your site, including WordPrss admin accounts, FTP access, database users, and your hosting control panel. Also, use strong, unique passwords for each account.
#5 Secure Your Site Against Future Attacks
Your WordPress is restored now, hence resubmit is to Google if it was blocklisted. You managed to secure the controls of your site this time, however this can happen anytime in the future again because of the reappearance nature of the malware.
Hence, proactive measures are required to fortify your site's defences and to reduce the risk of another breach. So how can you prevent this from happening again? Let us give you an overview of how to harden your site's security. Follow this:
- Install a security plugin for ongoing monitoring.
- Enforce strong passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA).
- Regularly updating software and removing unused plugins or themes.
- Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF).
- Schedule regular backups to ensure you can recover quickly from future incidents.
For severe hacks or if you're unsure how to proceed, consult a WordPress security expert or development agency to ensure thorough cleanup and robust protection going forward. |
Plugin Name | Key Features |
Wordfence | Firewall, Malware Scanning, Real-time Threat Detection, Login Security |
Sucuri Security | Firewall, Website Monitoring, Malware Removal, Website Acceleration |
MalCare | Malware Scanning & Removal, AI-Powered Detection, Automatic Cleanup |
All-in-One WP Security & Firewall | File Change Monitoring, Brute-force Attack Blocking, User Activity Logging |
Jetpack Security | Brute-force Protection, Daily Backups, Malware Scanning |
iThemes Security | Two-Factor Authentication, Strong Password Enforcement, File System Monitoring |
SecuriPress | Malware Scanning, Brute-force Protection, Database Security |
Shield Security | Firewall, Malware Scanning, WAF (Web Application Firewall) |
CleanTalk Security | Spam Comment Blocking, Spam Registration Blocking, Brute-force Attack Blocking |
Astra Security Suite | Cloud-based WAF, DDoS Protection, Malware Scanning |
Is your WordPress secure? Partner with an expert to know more
Cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and even a small vulnerability in your site can lead to devastating consequences, such as data breaches, loss of customer trust, and significant downtime. But how can you be sure your site is fully protected?
Of course, by ensuring the security protocols and following the checklist given in this blog. However, there are still some important points that require special care and attention, and therefore, investing in WordPress development agency shall be a good choice for your business.
How can Enterprise Monkey protect your WordPress site?
At Enterprise Monkey, we understand the unique challenges Australian businesses face when it comes to website security. Our team of WordPress experts offers comprehensive security audits, tailored solutions, and ongoing maintenance to safeguard your site from vulnerabilities.
From plugin updates to advanced security measures like firewalls and two-factor authentication, we cover every aspect of WordPress protection to keep your site running smoothly and securely.
When you partner with us, you not just hire a development agency—you gain a trusted ally committed to your digital success. Let us help you:
- Identify and fix vulnerabilities in your WordPress site.
- Implement cutting-edge security practices to prevent future attacks.
- Ensure optimal performance and compliance with Australian data protection laws.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Contact us at Enterprise Monkey today and let us secure your WordPress site so you can focus on growing your business with confidence!
Conclusion
WordPress plugin vulnerabilities are a serious risk, but with the right strategies and support, they can be effectively managed. For Australian businesses, prioritising WordPress security is essential to stay competitive, protect customer data, and meet compliance requirements.
Don’t leave your website’s security to chance. Partner with a WordPress development expert agency and gain peace of mind knowing your site is in capable hands.
Ready to secure your WordPress site? Contact our team today for a comprehensive security audit and tailored solutions for your business!