Old Core Files WordPress Security Plugin Review
We take WordPress security very seriously at WP White Security.com. So, when we find a good WordPress security plugin that helps keep WordPress safe, we like to spread the word. In this WordPress security plugin review, we will take a look at the Old Core Files WordPress plugin, which can be used to find old WordPress core files.
Why Delete Old WordPress Core Files?
WordPress is a well-maintained open-source platform for blogging and content management systems (CMS). The WordPress community releases application and security updates often. Whenever you update WordPress, some of its core files and functions change, and some stop working. In fact, if you look at a directory listing for an old version of WordPress, it will be very different from a directory listing for the most recent version of WordPress.
When you use the admin dashboard to upgrade WordPress, the old WordPress core files are not thrown away. Your website is much more likely to get hacked if you leave old WordPress core files. If hackers find an old, vulnerable WordPress core file, they can use it to their advantage.
If you do a manual WordPress upgrade, you don’t need to use the WordPress plugin Old Core Files because you delete all the WordPress core files before each upgrade.
How Old Core Files WordPress Plugin Works
The idea behind the plugin is very simple: it will make a list of all the old core files for WordPress that are no longer used. Once you’ve installed the Old Core Files WordPress plugin, you can click on the Settings link in the screenshot below to go to the list of old WordPress core files that the plugin found.
You can also find the old WordPress core files list by going to Tools > Old Core Files in the WordPress dashboard’s left menu.
As you can see in the above screenshot, the plugin lists all the old WordPress core files that are no longer needed in the Existing section. In the All section, which has 491 files in the image above, the Old Core Files plugin lists all the most recent WordPress core files for you to look at. So, you should only delete files that are in the Existing section.
In the first version of the plugin, there was a delete button. In future versions of the plugin, the delete button will be back once all the problems it caused have been fixed. At this point, you can manually go through the list of files and delete each one via FTP. For more information on how to use FTP, read our WordPress tutorial on How to Upload Files via FTP to WordPress.
When doing maintenance on WordPress, make sure you delete any themes and plugins that aren’t being used. The fewer files, plugins, and themes you have on your WordPress, the smaller the attack surface for hackers, and the less likely it is that your WordPress blog or website will be hacked. Before you delete any files, you should always make a backup of your WordPress site.
Keeping WordPress Secure
Files from the past WordPress plugin is an excellent and easy-to-use security plugin for WordPress that helps you keep your site safe. Subscribe to our online course WordPress Security For Beginners – How to Secure a WordPress Blog and Website, to learn more about WordPress security and how to secure your WordPress blogs and websites in just a few minutes.
Click here to go to the WordPress plugin directory and get the Old Core Files security plugin.
