With the recent release of WordPress 7.0, the most popular content management solution (CMS) in the world has entered one of its most significant evolutions in years. This update is not just a bug fix or version bump. It represents a major step forward in capabilities, performance, accessibility, and yes, you guessed it, security.
Considering that WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet, every major version release is a significant event to many. At Americaneagle.com, we work with organizations of all sizes that rely on WordPress to power successful digital experiences. Along with the excitement of WordPress 7.0, we have noticed a familiar topic popping up in conversations between business owners and IT teams: long-standing myths about WordPress security. Our WordPress team at Americaneagle.com believes that many of these myths and misconceptions arise from outdated information or a fundamental misunderstanding of how WordPress security works.
Now is a great time to cut through the noise and address the more persistent misconceptions we encounter with clarity, context, and real-world experience. WordPress 7.0 is more secure and capable than ever, which makes this the perfect moment to acknowledge what is fact and affirm what is fiction.
Myth 1: “WordPress Is Inherently Insecure”
The Reality: WordPress core is remarkably secure.
The WordPress security team works with global security research, conducts ongoing audits, and issues patches quickly. Most WordPress security issues that people refer to are not directly related to core WordPress platform vulnerabilities at all. Issues typically arise from poorly maintained third-party themes or plugins.
WordPress core follows strict coding standards, which are reviewed by thousands of developers and very rarely experience security vulnerabilities. In the rare case a vulnerability surfaces, it is usually fixed quickly, often within days.
For over a decade, our WordPress development team at Americaneagle.com has consistently seen, firsthand, secure solutions within WordPress when correctly implemented and managed. Across enterprise-grade hosting and development environments like WordPress VIP, WP Engine, and Pantheon, we architect solutions that leverage hardened infrastructure, automated patching, and platform-level security controls. All of these security measures reinforce the prioritized strength of WordPress core.
Myth 2: “WordPress Gets Hacked More Than Other Platforms”
The Reality: WordPress’s popularity and common user mistakes, including “set-it-and-forget-it,” skew the numbers.
Statistically, yes, WordPress websites get hacked far more often than sites built on any other CMS platform. However, this isn't because the core WordPress software is poorly coded or inherently broken. Leaders in the world’s largest development community (yes, WordPress) know that distinction is due to a mix of massive popularity (making WordPress a target), an open ecosystem, and common user mistakes. A high percentage of WordPress users are relatively inexperienced within modern web solutions. Small business owners, bloggers, and beginners are doing their best within the WordPress tools available to them, but may not be as aware of, or attentive to, evolving risks.
Common Security Mistakes:
- Neglected Updates: Many site owners install WordPress and never log back in to update and apply necessary patches to their software. Hackers love this because they can easily scan for sites running outdated, vulnerable versions of an unpatched platform or plugin to exploit them.
- Weak Credentials: Brute force and dictionary attacks—where bots aggressively guess passwords—succeed surprisingly often because people still use variations of simple, reused passwords.
- Nulled Plugins: A big source of compromise comes from users downloading "nulled" (pirated) versions of paid/premium plugins or themes. These almost always contain pre-installed backdoors that directly hand your site's keys to bad actors.
On a per-site basis, a well-maintained WordPress site is no more vulnerable than any other CMS. The raw numbers look high only because WordPress runs 40%+ of the web. Our data consistently shows that properly maintained WordPress sites hosted on Americaneagle.com’s prominent, vetted, and high-performance partner options experience extremely low incident rates in comparison to global benchmarks.
Myth 3: “Open-Source Software is Less Secure”
The Reality: With the world’s largest development community, open-source WordPress has a security advantage over the other open- and closed-source options.
The WordPress development community is made up of thousands of dedicated developers and security experts that consistently inspect, test, and improve the code. WordPress benefits from the contributions of security researchers, cyber-security leaders, and white-hat hackers optimizing its CMS and plugin ecosystem. If a vulnerability is discovered, it is quickly and responsibly disclosed, as well as remedied.
Myth 4: “Frequent Updates Mean WordPress is Unstable”
The Reality: Frequent updates are a security strength, not a weakness.
With their rapid update cycle, WordPress can quickly deploy security patches as soon as issues are discovered. The platform also enables critical security updates to be installed automatically.
With Americaneagle.com’s preferred hosting partners, automated updates and staging workflows make it easier for brands to stay current and secure without disrupting operations.
CMS platforms that update less frequently are more prone to leaving known vulnerabilities unpatched for longer periods of time, giving attackers more opportunity to exploit them. WordPress’s commitment to frequent updates is representative of their proactive security management.
Myth 5: “Plugins & Themes Make WordPress Unsafe”
The Reality: Any extensible platform faces this challenge, not just WordPress.
Third-party plugins and themes can introduce vulnerabilities on any CMS platform that allows extensions. Knowing that, the WordPress ecosystem promotes strict extension guidelines, which includes both automated scanning and manual reviews for libraries of plugins and themes. Many WordPress hosting environments may also disable dangerous plugins.
Security issues more commonly arise when users install abandoned, pirated, or low-quality plugins. Reputable developers and premium products typically follow rigorous WordPress security practices.
Myth 6: “WordPress Is Only Targeted Because It's Popular”
The Reality: Popularity does play a role, but more consequential are the many user-related mistakes that invite hackers.
Hackers target popular platforms, sure, but their primary focus is always on the weakest link. Within WordPress and every other web platform, data has proven that the weakest link is the common user mistakes that could and should be avoided.
At Americaneagle.com, we collaborate with our preferred hosting partners to implement and monitor proactive security measures across all client environments.
Myth 7: “WordPress Admin Tools Are Easy to Breach”
The Reality: WordPress includes several built-in protections.
WordPress gives developers strong security primitives such as nonces, capability checks, sanitization APIs, and prepared statements for SQL-injection prevention. The platform also supports two-factor authentication through well-maintained plugins and managed hosting platforms.
Data shows that admin breaches are most commonly attributed to weak or reused passwords.
How to Confidently Harden WordPress Security
If you follow a few basic rules of digital hygiene, a WordPress site can be just as secure as any closed-source platform.
The Golden Rule: Hackers almost always look for the lowest-hanging fruit. If you make your site just a little bit harder to crack than the next person's, automated bots will move on.
- Choose quality hosting: Ultra-cheap shared hosting often lacks basic server-level security, allowing a hack on someone else's site to bleed into yours. Investing in reputable or managed WordPress hosting makes a world of difference.
- Keep everything updated: While the “choose quality hosting” recommendation also helps this one, regularly check your platform, plugins, and themes to be certain all updates are being installed without fail.
- Enforce strong login practices: Use unique, complex passwords and always enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).
- Ditch the "admin" username: Never use "admin" as a username. If your site currently uses it, create a new administrator user, then log in as that new user, and then delete the old "admin" account.
The Real WordPress Security Story
With the release of WordPress 7.0, the platform has strengthened its position as one of the most secure and adaptable open-source CMS options available today.
When you look at the scale of the WordPress ecosystem, the security record is extremely impressive. What started as a simple blogging platform has evolved into a mature, enterprise-ready CMS. From powering small business sites to complex international enterprise ecosystems, WordPress is continuously evolving. Like any modern platform, strong security comes down to following best practices: keeping the core and extensions updated, using strong authentication, choosing reputable hosting, and being selective with third-party plugins. These are not WordPress specific requirements; they’re universal standards for responsible website management.
No CMS platform on the internet is 100% hacker-proof, but security concerns for WordPress have been consistently driven by user neglect rather than risks within the platform itself. Many of the world’s most recognized brands have the ultimate confidence in the security of their WordPress website solutions.
At Americaneagle.com, we help clients maximize security within WordPress and many other leading digital platforms. Our teams optimize hosting ecosystems, provide enterprise-grade protections, automate patching, and harden infrastructure to consistently elevate security posture. When combined with our development team’s uncompromising security standards and ongoing maintenance, organizations can confidently rely on WordPress as their secure CMS solution.
Popular security myths are, after all, myths. WordPress remains a powerful, secure foundation for digital experiences of all size and scope.
The WordPress Practice at Americaneagle.com: Enterprise Solutions with Security at the Forefront
At Americaneagle.com, our decades of WordPress experience span enterprise development, support, theme and plugin assistance, updates, implementations, and more. Our WordPress experts know how to fully leverage the platform’s tools to build award-winning digital experiences.
Contact us at (877) 932-6691 to regain confidence in WordPress as your brand’s trusted hub for digital capabilities and performance. Explore next steps to maximize WordPress’ secure, scalable, and easy-to-use content management implementations for your business.
