Online websites have exponentially increased over the past few years because of the availability of user-friendly, low-tech, and increasingly affordable website creation tools. With just a few clicks, content management systems like WordPress can be used to develop and launch a website.
Content Management Systems are used to create 43.6% of all web pages worldwide and have become one of the platforms most likely to be hacked or attacked, even though it has many benefits. The more widely used a piece of software is, the more potential targets there are, and the more time and money criminals are willing to spend looking for flaws in such software. 73% of the sites made with content management systems have been seen to be vulnerable and can be easily detected, according to a WP White Security Study.
What is Content Management System?
Content Management System is an online system that helps users create, manage and launch websites at affordable costs without technical skills. This system helps to build websites without needing to write a line of code or understand any programming language. Therefore, Instead of writing codes or building the system from scratch, the Content Management System handles the basic infrastructural stuff so that the user can focus on other tasks to keep the website running.
The Content Management System idea essentially refers to free software that has been developed and distributed by programmers all around the world. With the help of these functional models, anyone can quickly establish their website, blog, and other online properties.
Why are Content Management System platforms so vulnerable?
The popularity and the fact that more and more websites are utilizing Content Management Systems to build their websites have made it a juicy target for attack. One would think that the popularity of CMS platforms like WordPress, Wix and Drupal would make these platforms prioritize security and become less vulnerable.
However, the reverse is the case as more vulnerabilities relating to websites built using these platforms continue to increase. CMS are vulnerable by nature as they are built on an open-source framework that offers considerable advantages but also a significant number of flaws, including a lack of accountability.
Unsurprisingly, the finished product has some security flaws because there is no price tag and no one to directly assume responsibility for potential issues. These security flaws are actively sought after by security researchers and members of the hacker community since the top CMSes are so well-liked.
Ways to improve the security of content management systems (CMS)
Given that most websites built using the CMS platforms have at least three active plugins exposes their websites to additional security concerns. There are about eight million hackable plugins from WordPress, a good percentage of popular WordPress plugins susceptible to attack. Below are some common ways CMS security can be improved
- Install firewall for web applications – Web-based attacks on websites can be stopped before they reach the application by having web application firewalls (WAF) like CloudFlare or open-source solutions like ModSecurity.
- Implement a sound patch management system – As soon as a software update are available, it must be installed. Several manufacturers now provide automatic updates, which should be turned on to eliminate the need to install any available updates manually.
- Implementing two factors authentication – Using two-factor authentication and standard authentication for accessing the management area is advisable.
