Like all content management systems, Joomla will become vulnerable to hacking if it is not kept fully updated. Hackers are constantly searching the internet looking for web sites with known vulnerabilities.

Fortunately there are lots of developers constantly finding ways to secure Joomla. Any possible security flaw they find is dealt with and then the security patch is added to the next update.

All Joomla users need to apply these updates as soon as they come out, otherwise you will be running a website that Joomla’s own developers think may be vulnerable to hacking. The most common cause of hacked Joomla sites is outdated software. If you do get hacked then then the hackers will try to:

• Send out spam emails
• Infect your site with viruses
• Create links to illegal web sites
• Send Malware via your site to infect your computer

All of which can be very nasty and expensive.

Joomla updates also contain all the latest bug fixes. Certain functionality of Joomla may not always work perfectly in all cases. When these are reported to the Joomla developers, they try to fix this and release the fix on the next update. When an update becomes available there will be a message indicating this on your admin panel:

Click on ‘Install the Update’ and you’re done.