Most CMS site compromises linked to flawed plugins, extensions

Significantly more content management system website compromises have been attributed to vulnerable plugins and extensions, compared with outdated CMS files, ZDNet reports. Nearly 50% of website attacks involved domains with updated CMS, according to a report from Sucuri, which also noted that flawed extensions and plugins have been exploited for malware and credit card skimmer hosting, as well as spam delivery. "Even a fully updated and patched website can suddenly become vulnerable if one of the website elements has a vulnerability disclosure and action is not swiftly taken to remediate it," said researchers. Meanwhile, backdoors were the most prevalent malware observed in compromised websites. "Laying defensive controls helps you better identify and mitigate attacks against your website. [...] At its core, maintaining a good security posture comes down to a few core principles: keep your environment updated and patched, use strong passwords, exercise the principle of least privilege, and leverage a web application firewall to filter malicious traffic," Sucuri said.