Open Source CMS and Security

Most free-to-use CMS’s—such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and Magento— are classified as open-source software. For years, open source software was largely used by educational and non-profit industries. During our country's recent economic misfortunes, many small businesses began to look for ways to keep costs down. As a result, open source CMS have now become a legitimate contender in the world of websites and e-commerce websites. However, thanks to companies like Google, Yahoo and Bing competing in the market of search engines advertising, the human race has quicker access to information now than they did even three or four years ago, at the start of the economic downturn. Open-source means the code used to create the software is available to the public. Websites constructed by these types of programs are vulnerable to malicious attacks because their code’s design flaws can be easily detected, and are often exploited. It would be a major mistake to assume that because a particular organization, or individual, is using an open-source CMS makes it a wise option! If a site contains any sensitive or private information, then open-source is a dangerous endeavor. It is very irresponsible—and probably unethical—to use open-source software if your website contains a store. Any customer information, such as credit card numbers or birth-dates is vulnerable to theft, as a business owner it is your responsibility to protect this type of information. Most people are familiar with the dangers associated with identity and cyber-theft. Obviously protecting customer’s and client’s personal information is important to business owners, which is why avoiding open-source applications is paramount for most commercial businesses.