6 WordPress Security Issues That Are Probably On Your Site Right Now

WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. That scale makes it the most targeted platform for hackers — not because it’s poorly built, but because the sheer number of sites makes automated attacks worth running at massive scale.

According to the Patchstack State of WordPress Security report, nearly 8,000 new WordPress vulnerabilities were disclosed in a single year — and 35% remained unpatched. The vulnerability is almost never WordPress core. It’s the plugins and themes sitting on your site, some of them potentially unchanged for years.

Here are the six security issues I find most often on WordPress sites — and what to actually do about each.

1. Weak passwords and no login protection

Automated brute-force tools attempt millions of password combinations per hour against WordPress login pages. If your admin password is short, reused from another site, or follows a predictable pattern, it’s a matter of when, not if.

The fix: use a long, unique password generated by a password manager, enable two-factor authentication on all admin accounts, and install Wordfence or a similar plugin to block IPs after repeated failed logins. Moving your login URL away from the default /wp-admin adds a further layer of obscurity that eliminates a large portion of automated attacks.

2. Outdated plugins and themes

This is the number one cause of WordPress hacks — by a significant margin. When a plugin vulnerability is patched, it’s publicly disclosed at the same time. Hackers immediately scan for sites still running the vulnerable version. According to Patchstack, the window between disclosure and mass exploitation is often measured in hours.

Keep WordPress core, themes, and all plugins updated. Enable automatic updates for minor releases at minimum. And delete anything you’re not actively using — inactive plugins are still exploitable if they exist on your server.

3. No malware scanning

Malware infections often sit undetected on WordPress sites for weeks or months. The infection may not visibly break anything — it may quietly redirect certain visitors, inject hidden spam links, or harvest form submissions. Search engines will eventually detect and penalise infected sites, but by then the reputational and ranking damage is already done.

A free Wordfence install provides real-time malware scanning and alerts when something looks wrong. The WordPress.org security documentation also covers the platform’s built-in security model and recommended practices in detail.

4. Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities

XSS vulnerabilities allow attackers to inject malicious JavaScript into your pages — code that then runs in your visitors’ browsers. This can be used to steal session data, redirect users, or run phishing attacks under your domain name. These vulnerabilities are almost always introduced via poorly coded plugins or themes from unvetted sources.

The OWASP Top 10 — the definitive reference for web application security — consistently lists injection attacks among the highest-risk threats. Sticking to well-maintained plugins from reputable sources and keeping everything updated is the primary defence. Regular Wordfence scans catch known vulnerable plugin versions automatically.

5. No SSL / misconfigured HTTPS

An HTTP site transmits all data — including login credentials and contact form submissions — in plain text, readable by anyone on the same network. Chrome marks HTTP sites as “Not Secure,” which tanks user trust immediately. And Google’s algorithm explicitly favours HTTPS sites in rankings.

SSL certificates are free via Let’s Encrypt, and most managed hosting providers install them automatically. If your site still serves HTTP anywhere, this is a 10-minute fix. After installing SSL, confirm all pages redirect from HTTP to HTTPS and update any hardcoded HTTP links in your content.

6. Poor hosting security

Your hosting environment is the foundation everything else sits on. Cheap shared hosting typically means outdated PHP versions, no server-level firewall, and minimal isolation between accounts on the same server — meaning a compromised neighbour site can sometimes affect yours.

Managed WordPress hosting handles server-level security for you: current PHP versions, server-side firewalls, automatic malware scanning at the infrastructure level, and proper account isolation. It costs more than bargain shared hosting, but for any site where downtime or a breach would cost real money, the security baseline alone justifies it.

Where to start

The quickest way to understand your current exposure: run a free site audit. It checks for outdated software, common misconfigurations, and known vulnerabilities — takes about 30 seconds, no account needed.

If you’d rather hand all of this off — updates, backups, security monitoring, and a developer available when something goes wrong — that’s what a Pressive WordPress care plan covers. Security is included at every tier, starting at $59/month.