Enterprise WordPress security has never been more important. As the content management system (CMS) powering more than 40% of the web, WordPress is a popular choice for organizations using content to fuel their growth. 

However, it seems like every day we hear about a new security incident like a data breach or hacking attempt. As bad actors get smarter at circumventing website security, it’s more critical than ever for businesses to do everything possible to harden their websites against malicious threats.

No matter the size of your WordPress website, data security can be an overwhelming topic. When business is at stake, leaders need to feel confident about their website’s underlying technology, as well as the platform itself. 

When evaluating CMSes for your business, you may have some fundamental questions about how secure WordPress is for your organization’s needs. Let’s cover some of the most important ones.

Is open source software secure?

WordPress is an open source project, meaning that its code is publicly and freely available to use, modify, and distribute.

Understandably, open source software can sound concerning. If the core software’s codebase is freely available, doesn’t that make it more vulnerable to finding a way to attack?

Actually, while open source is not inherently more secure than proprietary software, open source projects lend themselves to a higher degree of scrutiny, and faster resolution of security concerns.

Since the code of open source projects is completely available, there’s transparency about any vulnerabilities. This level of visibility gives a more complete picture of the overall security of the software, and organizations can evaluate it openly.

And when compared to proprietary software, the large number of contributors to open source software means that there are many eyes on any problem. Vulnerabilities are usually patched quickly after they’re reported, because everyone has access to the code. Users can even fix the code themselves without waiting for it to be fixed in the core software.

Is WordPress secure?

In addition to the security benefits of open source software outlined above, WordPress’s large market share means that there are an even greater number of contributors. This community represents web applications of all sizes and levels of complexity, meaning that the software is hardened based on an even greater amount of experience and use cases.

But WordPress security doesn’t end at the core software itself. The architecture of WordPress includes an application layer on top of the base software. That application layer consists of custom code; themes and plugins that determine the functionality, look, and feel of a web application. Since WordPress’s security benefits from so many contributors, security issues are more likely to be introduced via themes, plugins, and hosting infrastructure. These themes and plugins will typically have far fewer contributors than WordPress itself, so it’s critical that the developers working on your theme and plugins keep them as secure as possible.

How to make WordPress more secure for enterprises

Choosing WordPress means that businesses get all the security benefits of open source software. But enterprise security requirements usually require further assurance, to give organizations the confidence that their mission-critical web applications live on a platform with robust security capabilities. 

First, choose an enterprise-grade WordPress platform built using best practices based on decades of protecting WordPress at scale. This platform should not only have relevant security certifications, but also offer proactive vulnerability management, network security, data protection, access control, and authentication, and breach recovery.

Also, ensure that your website’s custom application layer is just as secure as the underlying open source software. Look for a WordPress platform that automatically scans your application code before it’s deployed, flagging any errors that could lead to attacks or inefficiencies. As a bonus, choose a platform with experience running the world’s largest websites, who can proactively guide your engineering team on fixing any potential vulnerabilities.

To learn more about which enterprise WordPress security features to look for when evaluating platforms for your content marketing needs, read our blog post, and get our Enterprise Security Toolkit.

WordPress VIP is an enterprise-grade WordPress platform, trusted by customers in industries such as banking, pharmaceuticals, public utilities, and government. Ready to chat to our team about your security needs? Get a demo.