A short one this week, but one item on it needs doing today if your business runs on WordPress.
WordPress 7.1.2: check you've got it
WordPress released 7.1.2 on 22 September to fix a critical security vulnerability. According to the release post, it involves how page templates are resolved: an attacker with no login could potentially include a readable PHP file from outside your active theme, and under certain conditions that can lead to remote code execution. Put plainly, someone could get your server to run code it shouldn't. Sites that support automatic background updates should be updating themselves, but plenty of sites have that switched off, usually because someone once had a bad experience with an update.
It takes two minutes to check. Log in, go to Dashboard, then Updates, and see what version you're on. If it's anything older than 7.1.2, update it, or message me and I'll look. This is the sort of job I handle for my WordPress clients as routine, and 7.1.1 landed only five days before it on 17 September, so a site that's two releases behind has been exposed for a while.
WordPress and the Open Website Alliance
On 21 September WordPress announced it was taking its turn leading the Open Website Alliance. Nothing for a small business owner to do about that, but it's worth knowing the project is still putting effort into keeping the web open rather than locked into a few platforms.
What I published this week
On Tuesday I wrote about what it means to hire a WordPress developer in Hull, and on Thursday about what a technical SEO audit in Hull actually looks like. If you're planning a new site and wondering about timing, the piece on how long a WordPress website takes to build from last week is still the one people ask me about most.
Coming up: how to compare website quotes when they're thousands of pounds apart goes up tomorrow, and a guide to briefing a web developer follows on Tuesday.
One thing to do this weekend
Check your WordPress version and your backups. If you can't remember when your last backup ran, that's your answer.
That's this week's lot. If you want a second pair of eyes on your site, get in touch and book the free 30-minute surgery.
Free 30-min surgery
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