WordPress data security and uptime: a practical maintenance plan
Security and availability need separate checks. A site can be online while exposing data, and a secure update can still interrupt checkout. Replace broad assurances with named owners, scheduled checks and recovery tests.
Reduce avoidable exposure
Keep an inventory of core software, plugins and themes. Remove components you do not need, obtain updates from trusted sources and limit administrative access. Use distinct accounts, strong authentication and prompt removal of access when a role ends.
Monitor the customer journey
Check important pages and actions, not only the homepage response. Include sign-in, forms, checkout and email delivery. Define who receives alerts and how they confirm whether a problem affects customers. Preserve logs when investigating suspected compromise.
Practice recovery
Back up both files and the database, protect backup access and test a restore outside production. Plan updates with a rollback route and verify the installed version afterward. An update does not clean an existing compromise. Earlier unsupported attack statistics and contradictory vulnerability percentages have been removed.