WordPress 4.5.3 Maintenance and Security Release

Like a torrent of busy honeybees defending the hive from potential threats, the WordPress contributors have finished 4.5.3 to keep the CMS secure. This release addressed some security concerns which included measures to prevent attacks from known vulnerabilities. The new version of WordPress finished on June 18, 2016 and it was officially released to the public on the June, 21, 2016. If you haven’t updated already, you should take the opportunity to do so.

This release didn’t include any exciting new features like we saw in 4.5, Coleman, but there were some bug fixes from versions 4.5, 4.5.1 and 4.5.2. You can view the list of the changes to see exactly what bugs were fixed.

Update Now or Face Problems Later

One of the best things about WordPress is that it is secure right out of the box. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take security measures on your own. Remember to keep strong passwords, backup your site, update your theme and plugins. It’s also critical that you update the WordPress core.

You can do this manually or set it up for automatic updates in the dashboard. There are many security plugins that can help you stay on top of security measures, so you don’t have to lie awake at night hoping everything is safe.

Maybe you are saying to yourself, “I don’t need no stinking security patch, I’ll just wait for the next major release.” This can be a big mistake. It’s so easy there’s no reason not to for most users. If you ignore updates you will certainly be exposed to security vulnerabilities.

WordPress is secure enough to be the biggest CMS on the internet, but that also makes it a target. This is true whether you are using WordPress or other not. Don’t be scared, security can be a pain in the behind, or it can be fun (depending on your level of nerdiness).

Checkout the release notes for more information. Cheers and stay safe!