Why regular Joomla and extension updates are more important than ever

In recent weeks, several serious security vulnerabilities have been discovered in popular Joomla extensions, including JCE Editor, SP Page Builder, Helix3, PageBuilder CK and iCagenda.

Some of these vulnerabilities were already being actively exploited before a security update became available. That may sound worrying, but there is also good news. Security updates were released quickly for almost all discovered vulnerabilities. If you maintain your website properly, make regular backups and install updates on time, the risk is much lower.

Quick action prevents problems

We closely monitor security announcements for Joomla and popular extensions. When the security update for the popular JCE Editor became available, we immediately updated all websites of customers with a maintenance contract. This protected these websites against the known vulnerability very quickly. That is exactly the value of regular maintenance. Do not wait until something goes wrong, prevent problems before they happen.

Why are so many security vulnerabilities being discovered?

It seems that many more security issues are being found in Joomla extensions than a few years ago. This is partly because of the rise of AI.

Modern AI tools can analyse source code very quickly and recognise patterns that may indicate a security vulnerability. In the past, security researchers needed hours or even days to find vulnerable upload functions or missing access controls. Today, AI can often identify these within minutes.

This is good news for Joomla and extension developers because vulnerabilities are discovered and fixed much faster. Unfortunately, cybercriminals also benefit from the same technology. They use AI to find vulnerabilities and create automated attacks.

As a result, security updates are released more frequently than they were a few years ago. This does not mean Joomla has become less secure. It means security issues are discovered and fixed much faster. If you install updates on time, your website remains well protected.

A website is just like your computer or phone

Almost everyone understands that a smartphone needs regular updates. The same applies to Windows, macOS and Linux. Updates are not only for new features, but also to fix security vulnerabilities.

The same applies to a Joomla website. A website consists of Joomla itself, together with extensions and templates. All of these components are constantly being improved. Sometimes new features are added, but many updates are released to improve security. A website that has not been updated for months or even years simply has a higher risk than a website that is maintained regularly.

Not every website is a target, but automated attacks are

Today, hackers rarely target one specific website. Instead, they use automated bots that continuously scan the internet for random websites with known vulnerabilities. It does not matter much whether you have a large online store or a small business website.

In Joomla, you can often see these automated scans yourself. For example, enable search logging in Smart Search. You may notice unusual search queries that no normal visitor would enter, but which come from automated attack attempts. Here are a few examples:

• ../../../../../etc/passwd
  An attempt to read the Linux password file on the server.
• 1-1 or 244=(select 244 from pg_sleep(15))--
  An SQL injection attempt to manipulate the database or test for vulnerabilities.

You can also find requests for non-existing pages in the Redirects component. These often show what bots are looking for:

• <script>alert(1)</script>
  An attempt to check if the website is vulnerable to a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack.
• wp-includes
  A check to see if the website is running WordPress. If it is, bots will try to exploit known vulnerabilities in WordPress or its plugins.

These scans take place day and night and are fully automated. They are not aimed at your website personally, they simply search for websites with known vulnerabilities. That is why installing security updates regularly is so important.

Because of this, it makes little difference whether you manage a large online store, a community website or the website of a local business. As soon as a known vulnerability exists, automated bots can find your website and try to exploit it.

Fortunately, the opposite is also true. Once the security update has been installed, that specific vulnerability is fixed and automated attacks against it will usually fail immediately.

Prevention is easier than recovery

Recovering a hacked website usually takes much more time than installing updates regularly. It often involves cleaning infected files, restoring backups, changing passwords and checking for hidden backdoors. In most cases, regular maintenance prevents these problems.

Keep your website up to date

The recent security vulnerabilities clearly show how important good maintenance is. Not because Joomla is insecure, but because the developers fix security issues quickly as soon as they are discovered.

The only thing left to do is install the update.

Just like you keep your phone and computer up to date, your website deserves the same attention. This keeps your website secure, reliable and available for your visitors.

Don't have the time or knowledge to do this yourself? With a maintenance contract, we make sure Joomla and all installed extensions are updated on time, so your website stays well protected. Contact us to discuss the possibilities.