All software applications provide regular updates to fix bugs and patch security issues. Whether it's your operating system, your browser, or your PDF reader, you are frequently asked, prompted, or just made aware of some type of software update performed on your behalf. I will not go into why software has bugs nor whether open-source software is more or less secure than closed-source software. Instead, I will simply state that staying up-to-date on your software is the best way to insure that there are as few bugs and security holes as possible. Specifically, as it relates to Web applications such as content management systems, in September 2012 a DDOS (distributed denial of service) attack was launched on U.S. financial institutions by using compromised versions of WordPress and Joomla. The attackers found Web sites that were using an out-of-date version of a particular plug-in and were able to take control of these sites for their own purposes. Now bugs, break-ins, and attacks are not going to stop happening. Even still, with the public awareness of what happened with Target and Neiman-Marcus, one recent study suggested that as many as 73% of WordPress sites are not running the most current version of the software; and this is the kind of thing that can be prevented. Take a moment to read about Updating Software Applications, Lessons From the Field. Additional Resources: Software bugs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_bug Open source security: http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Open-source-software-security U.S. financial services DDoS attacks: http://www.informationweek.com/attacks/bank-attackers-used-php-websites…?
