See WordPress' response to the supply chain attack
Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2025 5:30 am
In recent years, website cybersecurity has become a growing concern for companies that use digital platforms. In this post, we present WordPress’ response to the supply chain attack that occurred recently, as reported here .
Additionally, we’ll also show you how these attacks occur, the measures WordPress is taking to mitigate them, and how you can protect your site.
What are supply chain attacks?
Supply chain attacks occur when hackers compromise a software component or service that is used by multiple users. In the case of WordPress, these attacks target plugins, which are developed by third parties and widely used to add functionality to websites.
Hackers have been exploiting compromised credentials, often obtained in previous data breaches, to access and insert malicious code directly into plugins. These attacks can go unnoticed for long periods of time, causing significant damage to both website owners and their visitors.
What was WordPress' response to the supply chain attack ?
In response to these incidents, WordPress has implemented twitter data several measures to increase the security of its plugins. Below, we detail the main actions taken.
1. Forced password reset
One of the first actions was to force password resets for all plugin authors whose credentials were found in data breaches. This measure aims to ensure that compromised passwords are not reused, making it harder for attackers to work.
Francisco Torres, one of the WordPress engineers, said in the official statement:
“We have begun force resetting passwords for all plugin authors, as well as other users whose information was found by security researchers in data breaches.”
2. Pause plugin updates
Another significant measure was the temporary pause on new plugin updates. This action allowed the plugin review team to manually check each update before approving it, preventing the insertion of malicious code.
The update pause was a preemptive action that allowed WordPress to identify and neutralize threats before they reached end users. However, WordPress has since resumed normal updates after implementing stricter controls.
Additionally, we’ll also show you how these attacks occur, the measures WordPress is taking to mitigate them, and how you can protect your site.
What are supply chain attacks?
Supply chain attacks occur when hackers compromise a software component or service that is used by multiple users. In the case of WordPress, these attacks target plugins, which are developed by third parties and widely used to add functionality to websites.
Hackers have been exploiting compromised credentials, often obtained in previous data breaches, to access and insert malicious code directly into plugins. These attacks can go unnoticed for long periods of time, causing significant damage to both website owners and their visitors.
What was WordPress' response to the supply chain attack ?
In response to these incidents, WordPress has implemented twitter data several measures to increase the security of its plugins. Below, we detail the main actions taken.
1. Forced password reset
One of the first actions was to force password resets for all plugin authors whose credentials were found in data breaches. This measure aims to ensure that compromised passwords are not reused, making it harder for attackers to work.
Francisco Torres, one of the WordPress engineers, said in the official statement:
“We have begun force resetting passwords for all plugin authors, as well as other users whose information was found by security researchers in data breaches.”
2. Pause plugin updates
Another significant measure was the temporary pause on new plugin updates. This action allowed the plugin review team to manually check each update before approving it, preventing the insertion of malicious code.
The update pause was a preemptive action that allowed WordPress to identify and neutralize threats before they reached end users. However, WordPress has since resumed normal updates after implementing stricter controls.