Guide

Joomla security: the complete guide

Joomla has a reputation as a secure system, and rightly so: the team quickly patches the core and releases urgent fixes. The problem is that a site is not just the core. It is also extensions from hundreds of different authors and, very often, versions that stopped receiving updates long ago. This guide organises Joomla's most important threats and shows how to genuinely secure a site before someone takes it over.

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Critical Joomla flaws in practice

The most high-profile vulnerabilities that really took over sites, with specific CVE numbers and what they did.

The JCE editor in Joomla with a dangerous flaw, updating is not everything Security JCE is one of the most popular editors in Joomla. A flaw has just been found in it that attackers are already exploiting. We explain what to do, step by step. Joomla and SP Page Builder, a critical flaw with the highest possible score Security A popular Joomla page-building extension has a flaw scored 10 out of 10. Attackers are already using it to take over sites. See what to do.

How to actually secure Joomla

Practical steps that do not require developer knowledge and filter out most attacks.

Joomla, how to genuinely secure a site before someone takes it over Security Joomla is solid as long as you look after it. Here is a practical list of things that make the difference between an attack-resistant site and an easy target. No jargon, step by step. The password "Company123!" will not protect your site, do this instead Security The most common way into a site is not a sophisticated attack, but a weak password. Here is how to close that door in a few minutes, a password manager and two-factor login in plain words. A password manager, why it is worth it and how to start Security The same passwords over and over is asking for trouble. A password manager solves the problem once and for all, we explain how it works and why it is safe. A website backup, the insurance everyone forgets about Care and backups A backup is boring until it is the one thing that saves your business. Why it is worth having a backup and how often to make one.

Attack techniques (universal)

Attack methods common to all CMSes, worth understanding regardless of the system.

You cleaned the site and the virus came back? Backdoors are to blame Security The site gets cleaned, and a few days later the infection returns. It is not bad luck or a "strong virus", it is a backdoor nobody removed. We explain how to break the cycle.

When Joomla goes down

Recognising an infection and the first steps that decide the scale of the damage.

Site hacked? The first hour decides everything Security You already know something is wrong, redirects, a Google warning, strange files. What now? Here is a plan for the first hour: what to do in order and what not to do under any circumstances. Your site redirects to foreign ads? That is a sign of a break-in Security You open your own site and it suddenly throws you onto a shady ad or someone else's service. It is a classic symptom of infection, we explain what is happening. Google flagged your site as dangerous, what to do Security The red "This site may be dangerous" screen scares off customers and cuts traffic. We explain where it comes from and how to get off the blacklist.

Frequently asked questions

Is Joomla safe?

The Joomla core is solid and well supported. Most real break-ins come from vulnerable third-party extensions and from running old, unupdated versions of the system.

Which Joomla flaws were the most dangerous?

Among the most high-profile are remote code execution via a browser header (CVE-2015-8562, Joomla 3.4.6), an unauthenticated configuration leak with database data (CVE-2023-23752) and SQL injection in Joomla 3.7 (CVE-2017-8917).

What is the biggest risk in Joomla?

Third-party extensions: builders, galleries, forms, stores. When an author stops maintaining one, the flaw stays open because the fix never comes. Update them and remove the unused ones.

What is the danger of an old Joomla version?

Versions past end of support no longer receive security fixes. New flaws keep appearing, but patches do not. Such a site is an easy, mass-scanned target.

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