(The information is  from an email warning sent earlier this week to all our clients using the WordPress platform.  If you are a past YNot Web client from 2006 or later and did NOT receive this email, PLEASE contact us at 916-436-1638 to confirm whether this information pertains to you.  Email or spam filtering may have kept you from receiving this vital information.)

Over the holiday weekend, information went out that there is a worm virus making its way across the internet looking for old, unpatched versions of WordPress.  Only the last two versions of WordPress- 2.8.4 and 2.8.3 (released in the last couple of months) are immune to this worm.

Most of YNot Web’s websites since the beginning of 2007 are built upon the WordPress platform.  Our recommendation to each project client was to plan on upgrades once or twice per year.  You can see your WordPress version by logging in to your Dashboard- it will display your installed version on the first screen.

If your site launched prior to August of this year and you have not upgraded or had someone else upgrade your site, I urge you to do so now.  Please also, make sure that you fully back up your files and the database before an upgrade is started.

Rest assured, if you have a monthly maintenance/retainer agreement with YNot Web, you have already been upgraded or been notified that your upgrade needs to occur this week.

Upgrades can be fast & simple, especially if done on a regular basis, but grow in complexity the more plugins (added features) you have and the larger the difference in versions (there were major changes at versions 2.3, 2.6, and 2.7).   Also, your hosting company choices can ease the complexity of upgrades.  If you are hosted with HostGator, our top recommended host since mid-2007, their backup system and Fantastico application control facilitate a smooth transition.

Again, if you do not have version 2.8.4, I urge you to make plans to upgrade now.  Please let me know if you need assistance with this- either by scheduling the work with us or if you need login/hosting account reminders to provide to someone else.  Attached below are some basic steps/best practices for anyone who wants to manage the upgrade on their own.

How to Backup-Update WordPress on HostGator Hosting