There is no denying this fact that Wordpress is one of the most popular Content Management Systems of developers because of its vast list of plugins. However, security is something that can't be overlooked in Wordpress! I guess you are not one of them!
With over 50 thousand plugins available to access in the official Wordpress repository, and thousands more available on various other marketplaces to download, anyone can quickly get confused about where to make the next move. Finding a reliable and feature-rich Wordpress plugin is one of the daunting tasks for the Wordpress plugin developer as there is a list of things to check and verify before installing it to your site.
When it comes to Wordpress website development, even the smallest and simplest version of the website needs the plugin. For instance, Akismet is vital for a blog site; Defender is important for website security; a contact form is needed to collect business leads and more.
We all know that one of the most significant advantages of Wordpress is only its vast directory of plugins. But at the same time, it leaves you in a dilemma that which plugins you should rely on! While at the one side of the coin, Wordpress Plugins are empowering your website and on the other side of the coin, outdated plugins and vulnerabilities are continually growing in numbers and putting your website in danger.
Today the more plugins you are trying to install on your site, the more maintenance will be required. And one of the best solution to deal with it is to "hire custom Wordpress plugin development company" that can understand your plugin development needs and provide you what exactly fuel your website.
Whether you are into Wordpress plugin development services or a website owner, there are few malignant plugins that you should keep away from your Wordpress site.
Shep Hyken, Says " Recognize that every interaction you have is an opportunity to make a positive impact on your site.".
So let’s get started with the name of hacked wordpress site plugins that you will never want to install in your Wordpress Website…
1. Jetpack
There's a time when Jetpack was trusted as one of the best assistance and management tool for Wordpress. Undoubtedly, the plugin is highly configurable and covers relatively superficial functionality, from image uploads to managing site metrics to backend code assistance.
However, over the years, with the great updation and advancement in the Wordpress plugins, Jetpack is now considered as a compromised plugin that could lead to a compromised Wordpress site. According to reports, Jetpack has over 5 million active installations and has 9 vulnerability warnings that make it a most outdated version of WP plugins.
Secondly, keep in mind, you need your Wordpress credentials to access the Jetpack and what if a compromised plugin put it at risk...Further, you can consult it from Wordpress plugin developer before accessing it.
2. All in One SEO Pack
Have you been still relying on this SEO-focused plugin for your website ranking? Wake up!
Did you know when it has been launched? Yes, in 2007 and you are in 2019...As of today, it still has over 2 million active installation and millions of Wordpress developer are using this plugin for enhancing SEO. But it is an alerting time for you!
We all know this fact that Google never misses the chance to make amendments in its algorithms and if you are not preparing your site with the latest algorithm-driven plugins, it means you are merely putting your site at the higher risk. Even Google doesn’t like to rank the websites that not obeying its rules.
Don’t worry! Custom Wordpress plugin development companies are right here to assist you in the latest plugins...
3. WooCommerce
I know many Wordpress plugin development services providing companies must be doubting on me while catching this leading eCommerce plugin in this list!
Let me explain to you why I've put WooCommere in Malignant plugins...
Being one of the most leading eCommerce Wordpress plugins, it's already empowering over 4 million installations and claiming to power 30% of online stores existing on the internet. Since the prime role of this plugin is to handle customer payments and managing sales of the store, it is naturally a most tempting target for hackers. WooCommerce stores usually process both personal data and payment data of their customers, though hacker's prime targets are always these kinds of eCommerce websites.
Apart, approx 19 vulnerability warning signs are dating back to 2014, and multiple additional vulnerabilities are noticed in this extension in 2018. So, are you still interested in taking the privilege of WooCommerce Powered Site?
4. NextGEN Gallery
Since 2007, NextGEN Gallery is the foremost gallery plugin accessing by WP plugin development companies. While this plugin boasts over 1.5 million downloads every year, providing exclusive features to manage uploading, storage and display of images on Wordpress Site, still the SQL injection flaws left this plugin in a significant risk.
Over the period, there are multiple alternative plugins have been launched that can actively empower your website in 2020 and assist you in managing your gallery without any risk. Custom Wordpress plugin development services can further help you with the latest plugins and provide you with the tailored plugins.
5. Contact Form 7
This is also the most widely-used plugin that has over 5 million active community. This plugin is actually designed to manage and customize a website's contact forms. The default configuration is not capable enough to handle personal user data, although the plugin is configurable to allow you to manage everything simply.
However, in 2014, three advisories have noticed some security risks in this plugin and the privilege escalation flaw disclosed in September 2018. While the disclosure doesn't involve the high damage risk in itself, but it allows attackers to upload malicious files to the site's directory ad increasing the risk of having damaging attacks.
You must be wondering if all these popular plugins are also putting your website at high risk, then what plugins you can trust to install?
How Can You Limit the Risk of Having Dangerous Wordpress Plugins?
There are ways to protect your site from the warning plugins. So, let's get started with the essential tips that can help you limit the security risk of plugins:
1. Download Plugins From the Reputed Site
To ensure high security of your website, it is recommended to download the plugins from the official Wordpress plugin. As the official plugin directory is handled by a great team of volunteers and a large community of users, they can easily help you out with the right plugin. In case, if you need to download it from another site, you need to keep these points in mind:
● The website must be professionally designed and using a clear language to describe the usability of the plugin.
2. Have a Disallowed Plugin List
With over 50,000 Wordpress plugins available to download, how would you decide which plugin is best to fit your website?
The proven way to deal with this situation is to have a list of Wordpress plugins that may never be a good fit for your website. You may also want to check with Custom Wordpress plugin development company if they have a list of disallowed plugin that is known for slowing down your site, creating security issues and so on.
3. Choose Reputable Plugins
The official Wordpress repository always makes it easy to evaluate the plugins by providing a good summary of the plugin. But here's what you need to pay attention while reading about the plugin:
● Verify the number of active installs of the plugin. While some, reliable and useful plugins have low install numbers but still you should scrutinize a plugin if it has a lower than 1,000 smaller installs.
4. Incompatible Plugins With The Latest WP Version
When scooping out the best plugins from the Wordpress repository, there are two essential things that you need to think upon:
The "Wordpress Version" will let you know how old it is and what exactly you need for your site. According to experts, you should never rely on letting your site run on an old version of Wordpress.
Secondly "Tested Up To" will help you know how compatible this plugin is with the latest and highest core update. If the plugin hasn't updated to the newest version, then, skip it.
Ending Note
Whether you are a Wordpress site owner or a WP developer, managing the plugins of your site is a complicated task to keep your site safe. Understanding the risks and actively managing all the updates on the ongoing activity is something that you all need for your website.
Well, this post has already covered the names of dangerous plugins that you should avoid and what parameters you need to keep in mind to limit the risk of plugin security. By using rigorous criteria in selecting plugins to install to keep an eye on the disallowed list of plugins to verify the latest version of the plugin, there are various ways you can protect your site from malicious attackers.
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