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Should we enable Auto Updates for WordPress?

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Q:

We want to enable auto-updates for WordPress in order to reduce the time commitment of our website. Is it advised to enable automatic updates? Are there any downfalls to enabling them?

Issue

The client wants to know if WordPress auto updates are recommended for their WordPress website and to learn more about the potential risks or consequences of enabling them. Additionally, they are concerned about other security measures that can be taken in order to better protect their site from malicious attacks or vulnerabilities.

Should we enable Auto Updates for WordPress?

Auto-updates in WordPress 5.5 offer a solution to the problem of keeping websites up-to-date, but they are not without their drawbacks and risks. It is important for WordPress site maintainers to understand the pros and cons of auto-updates as well as what methods exist that can help reduce security threats while also ensuring sites stay current with versions, themes, and plugins.

Automatic updating allows sites to receive security patches quickly, reducing vulnerability to attacks; however it can also lead to compatibility issues or broken functionality due to changes in code without warning.

To ensure reliability and security when using auto-updates as a feature on their websites, Wordfence recommends attention be paid towards plugin reputation management through research prior installation/update decisions with reliable sources like WPScan Vulnerability Database & Plugin Directory reviews; testing preview environment configurations before committing production deployments further assists in minimizing surprises related update scenarios.

Future WordPress auto-updates and security enhancements will be a welcome update to the platform. Even with these advanced features, server-level security and administration are still necessary elements of website maintenance.

Additional reading

To learn more about keeping your WordPress website up-to-date and to learn the pros and cons of using auto-updates for WordPress, we recommend these articles:

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