{"id":1838,"date":"2026-06-12T10:53:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T16:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/?p=1838"},"modified":"2026-06-12T10:53:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T16:53:18","slug":"important-security-update-how-to-protect-your-wordpress-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/2026\/06\/important-security-update-how-to-protect-your-wordpress-website\/","title":{"rendered":"Important Security Update: How to Protect Your WordPress Website"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the past few months, the landscape of website security has experienced a sudden and dramatic paradigm shift. We want to share what we have been facing behind the scenes, how our industry is evolving and\u2014most importantly\u2014the practical steps you can take to keep your website safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The New Reality: AI-Accelerated Exploits<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Historically, website security operated at a predictable pace. A critical vulnerability might surface once or twice a year, giving website owners and system administrators plenty of time to review change logs, assess threats and schedule a convenient patch window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>That era is officially over.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As detailed in our recent blog post,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/2026\/05\/securing-your-websites-against-0-day-threats-how-varial-hosting-responded-to-this-weeks-critical-security-vulnerabilities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Securing Your Websites Against 0-Day Threats<\/a>, we have faced a rapid, continuous barrage of critical zero-day threats <strong>occurring weekly, and at times even daily<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This shift is being driven by the maturation of advanced AI tools. Both security researchers and malicious actors are now using AI to audit source code at lightning speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Good:<\/strong>\u00a0Defenders can find deep, systemic flaws that went unnoticed by human eyes for years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Bad:<\/strong>\u00a0The moment a patch or a public disclosure is released, automated tools can instantly reverse-engineer it to find the exploit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a result, vulnerabilities are being actively exploited in the wild mere&nbsp;<strong>hours after public disclosure<\/strong>. The traditional concept of &#8220;scheduling a patch window next week&#8221; is no longer viable. Maintaining security now requires constant, immediate attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Looking Ahead: The Next 3 to 12 Months<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our security vendors have declared that we are in the middle of a permanent industry shift. Experts project that this rapid pace of vulnerability discoveries will persist aggressively for the next 3 to 6 months, with an elevated threat environment remaining for the next 1 to 2 years as AI tools continue to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Continuous, automated updating is the new standard for web safety.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why Keeping Your WordPress Software Current Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because the vast majority of our customers run on WordPress, it&#8217;s vital to understand how this impacts your daily operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The #1 cause of website compromises is failing to keep website software up to date.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress plugins are highly targeted by attackers using AI tools to find hidden flaws. A prime example occurred recently with <strong>UpdraftPlus<\/strong>, a massive backup plugin with millions of installations. A critical vulnerability was discovered that allowed for full website compromise if left unpatched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When your site runs outdated plugins, it is only a matter of time before automated scripts locate the vulnerability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Server-Level Defence vs. Core Patching<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help counter these threats, all Varial Hosting plans include an AI-driven, proactive firewall designed to <strong>help intercept malicious traffic and mitigate many zero-day exploits<\/strong> in real time. Powered by our Imunify360 security suite, its malware protection also <strong>adds an extra layer of defence<\/strong> by working to automatically detect and quarantine known malicious code before it can cause damage to your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While these server-level features are must-have modern security tools, <strong>patching vulnerable application code directly remains the single best defence against exploits<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3 Ways to Keep Your WordPress Site Up to Date<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To protect your business and reputation, you need an update strategy that fits your workflow. We provide three distinct paths to handle this on our platform:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Manual Updates via WP-Admin (Self-Managed)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can log directly into your WordPress\u00a0<code>wp-admin<\/code>\u00a0dashboard regularly to manually update your WordPress core, plugins and themes. Because of the accelerated timeline of modern attacks, <strong>you should frequently check for and apply updates<\/strong> to ensure you aren&#8217;t left exposed to active exploits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Automated or Manual Updates via Installatron in cPanel (Recommended)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can utilize the Installatron tool located inside your cPanel control panel. Installatron offers a massive safety net: <strong>it automatically takes a complete backup of your website before performing any update<\/strong>, allowing you to easily roll back with a single click if there are any issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>WordPress Core (Our Default):<\/strong>\u00a0By default, Installatron is set to automatically update your core WordPress software. Core releases are heavily tested and rarely introduce bugs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Plugins and Themes (Optional):<\/strong>\u00a0Automatic updates for plugins and themes are optional and turned off by default. Because anyone can write a plugin, they may not be as thoroughly tested and\u00a0<strong>could occasionally introduce conflicts or functionality changes<\/strong>\u00a0that could negatively impact your website. If you choose to enable automatic updates for plugins and themes, we highly recommend reviewing your website after receiving an update notification to ensure everything is working properly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. WordPress Care &amp; Maintenance Plan (Fully Managed)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For businesses and organizations that want total peace of mind without the hassle, our fully managed\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/wordpress-maintenance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WordPress Care &amp; Maintenance Plan<\/a>\u00a0is available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With this plan, our team handles the entire process for you. We don&#8217;t just blindly update your site; <strong>we deploy and test all updates in a private staging environment<\/strong> first to ensure there are no conflicts or layout issues before safely pushing them live. This allows you to focus 100% on running your business while we ensure your website remains locked down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The security landscape has changed permanently, but by shifting to a proactive, continuous update mindset, you can keep your data and websites secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you would like to enrol in our Care &amp; Maintenance plan, or need help configuring Installatron for automated backups and updates, please <a href=\"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contact us<\/a> or open a ticket with our support team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over the past few months, the landscape of website security has experienced a sudden and dramatic paradigm shift. We want to share what we have been facing behind the scenes, how our industry is evolving and\u2014most importantly\u2014the practical steps you can take to keep your website safe. The New Reality: AI-Accelerated Exploits Historically, website security [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1,112],"tags":[480,522,530,529,4,531,528],"class_list":["post-1838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","category-wordpress","tag-ai","tag-security-update","tag-security-vulnerabilities","tag-security-vulnerability","tag-wordpress","tag-wordpress-safety","tag-wordpress-security"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/varial-hosting-wordpress-security.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7kThA-tE","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":785,"url":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/2018\/08\/stop-malware-with-proactive-defense\/","url_meta":{"origin":1838,"position":0},"title":"Stop Malware with Proactive Defense","author":"Varial","date":"August 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the biggest innovations in website security is now available to all Varial Hosting customers! Unlike traditional approaches that scan and remove malware from infected websites, Proactive Defense\u00a0analyzes the behaviour of PHP code in realtime and stops dangerous executions, preventing malware from running in the first place. Thousands of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Announcements&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/proactive-defense-1200.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/proactive-defense-1200.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/proactive-defense-1200.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/proactive-defense-1200.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/proactive-defense-1200.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1818,"url":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/2026\/05\/cpanel-upgraded-to-v134-across-all-servers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1838,"position":1},"title":"cPanel Upgraded to v134 Across All Servers","author":"Varial","date":"May 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"We are excited to announce that all Varial Hosting servers have been upgraded to the latest version of cPanel (v134). This update brings several new tools to help you manage your website and email more easily. Here are the most helpful changes for you: Easier Website Testing & Management Temporary\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Announcements&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"cPanel Logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cpanel-logo.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cpanel-logo.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cpanel-logo.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cpanel-logo.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cpanel-logo.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cpanel-logo.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":542,"url":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/how-to-make-your-wordpress-website-faster\/","url_meta":{"origin":1838,"position":2},"title":"How to make your WordPress website faster","author":"Varial","date":"August 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you getting the most out of your WordPress website? WordPress is one of the most popular web applications in the world and powers nearly 80% of all websites hosted on our servers. We love WordPress and its explosive growth has changed how we think about hosting and made us\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Features&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/category\/features\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/wordpress-bg-medblue.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/wordpress-bg-medblue.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/wordpress-bg-medblue.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/wordpress-bg-medblue.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/wordpress-bg-medblue.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":487,"url":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/all-servers-now-protected-by-imunify360\/","url_meta":{"origin":1838,"position":3},"title":"All Servers Now Protected by Imunify360","author":"Varial","date":"June 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Earlier this month we enabled\u00a0free SSL certificates for all customers to much applause and today we have another powerful new security feature to unveil to help protect your websites. Imunify360 is an advanced firewall developed by our operating system vendor, CloudLinux. Website attacks have become incredibly sophisticated. We used to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Announcements&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Imunify360_logo.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Imunify360_logo.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Imunify360_logo.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Imunify360_logo.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Imunify360_logo.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Imunify360_logo.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":773,"url":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/google-chrome-now-labelling-all-http-websites-as-not-secure\/","url_meta":{"origin":1838,"position":4},"title":"Google Chrome Now Labelling All HTTP Websites As &#8220;Not Secure&#8221;","author":"Varial","date":"July 24, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Today is the big day! With the release of version 68 of the Chrome browser, Google now labels all websites accessed over HTTP as \"Not Secure\". What does the \"Not Secure\" warning mean? The \"Not Secure\" warning does not mean your website has been hacked or has a vulnerability. It\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Announcements&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/notsecure.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/notsecure.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/notsecure.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/notsecure.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":685,"url":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/2018\/05\/how-to-avoid-a-not-secure-warning-on-your-website\/","url_meta":{"origin":1838,"position":5},"title":"How to Avoid a &#8220;Not Secure&#8221; Warning on Your Website","author":"Varial","date":"May 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Web browser developers are strongly pushing for an encrypted web and are taking actions to encourage website owners to begin using HTTPS. The latest versions of Chrome, Firefox and Safari now display a \"Not Secure\" warning when visiting a login or payment page over HTTP. This is to alert the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Features&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/category\/features\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/notsecure.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/notsecure.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/notsecure.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/notsecure.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1838"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1841,"href":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1838\/revisions\/1841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varialhosting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}