While you were running your business, the WordPress security landscape exploded. 7,966 new vulnerabilities discovered in 2024 alone. That is 22 vulnerabilities every single day.
This is not a drill. This is not hype. This is the data from Patchstack, Wordfence, and security researchers worldwide. The Matrix* is under constant attack, and the Agents* are winning.
The Numbers That Should Terrify You
Let us break down what 7,966 vulnerabilities actually means:
- 2022: ~4,800 vulnerabilities
- 2023: 5,948 vulnerabilities (24% increase)
- 2024: 7,966 vulnerabilities (34% increase)
This is exponential growth. The threat landscape is accelerating faster than most businesses can adapt.
Plugins: The 96% Problem
Here is the brutal truth: 96-97% of all WordPress vulnerabilities come from plugins. Not the core. Not themes. Plugins.
Your WordPress installation might be perfect. Your theme might be secure. But if you have one vulnerable plugin, your entire site is compromised.
Think of it like this: You build a fortress with impenetrable walls. Then you install a backdoor because someone promised you it would make your life easier. That backdoor is a plugin vulnerability.
The Critical Severity Reality
Not all vulnerabilities are created equal. But the distribution should concern you:
- 43% of vulnerabilities require no authentication to exploit. Anyone can attack your site.
- 42.9% are high or critical severity—meaning they can lead to complete site takeover.
- 53.3% are XSS vulnerabilities—allowing attackers to inject malicious code.
This is not theoretical. This is happening right now, to sites like yours.
The Abandoned Plugin Epidemic
Here is where it gets worse: 1,614 plugins were removed from WordPress.org in 2024 for security issues and abandonment. That is a 235% increase from 2023.
These are "zombie plugins"—code that is still running on millions of sites, but no longer maintained. No updates. No patches. No security fixes.
If you have an abandoned plugin on your site, you are running unpatched code that hackers actively exploit. It is like leaving your front door unlocked because you forgot you installed it.
Real-World Impact: The WPGateway Catastrophe
Let us talk about what happens when a vulnerability is discovered:
In September 2022, a critical vulnerability in the WPGateway plugin was discovered. It allowed unauthenticated attackers to add administrator accounts to any site running the plugin.
Within 30 days:
- 280,000+ sites were targeted
- 4.6 million attack attempts were blocked
- Thousands of sites were compromised
This is not ancient history. This is the new normal. When a vulnerability is disclosed, automated bots scan the entire internet within hours, looking for vulnerable sites.
The Bricks Builder Exploitation Timeline
In 2024, a critical vulnerability in Bricks Builder was publicly disclosed. It had a CVSS score of 9.8 (critical).
Exploitation timeline: Within hours of public disclosure, attackers were actively exploiting it.
This is the speed of modern attacks. You do not have days to patch. You have hours. Sometimes minutes.
Why This Matters to Your Business
You might think: "I am a small business. Why would hackers target me?"
Because they do not target you. They target everyone.
Automated bots scan the entire internet continuously. They do not care if you are a Fortune 500 company or a local bakery. If your site is vulnerable, they will exploit it.
The costs of a breach:
- Small businesses: $25,000 - $200,000 average
- Enterprises: $4.88 million average
- Downtime: $300-400 per hour for small businesses
- Recovery: 6-12 months to fully recover search rankings
A $199/month maintenance plan looks expensive until you compare it to a $25,000 breach.
The Solution: Proactive Defense
You cannot patch what you do not know about. You cannot defend against threats you cannot see.
This is why we exist:
- We monitor vulnerability databases daily
- We test plugin updates before applying them
- We remove abandoned plugins and replace them with secure alternatives
- We scan for malware continuously
- We patch critical vulnerabilities within 24 hours
While you focus on your business, we fight the digital war. The Agents* never sleep, and neither do we.
The Verdict
The WordPress plugin crisis is real. It is accelerating. And it is coming for your site.
The question is not if you will be targeted. The question is when—and whether you will be prepared.
You can wait for the breach and pay $25,000+ to recover. Or you can invest $199/month in proactive protection.
The math is simple. The choice is yours.
