Protect Your WordPress Website: Beware of the Latest Scam Email!

by Design for Digital

In the vast landscape of the internet, WordPress website owners are often targeted by various cyber threats due to it being the most popular website software in the world. One recent scam email referencing a WordPress ‘CVE-2024-46188’ patch has been making the rounds, attempting to exploit the vulnerabilities of unsuspecting website administrators. This urgent blog post aims to raise awareness about the scam email and provide crucial information to safeguard your WordPress website.

Wordpress scam email 2024 01

Above: picture of the scam email content, only included here so you can easily identify it and delete it, do not follow these instructions – you have been warned!

⚠ Beware of the WordPress Vulnerability Email

If you’ve received an email with the alarming subject line, “Immediate Action Required: Vulnerability found – Your website is at risk!” – consider it a red flag. The email may claim that your website is at risk due to a supposed vulnerability and instruct you to take immediate action. However, it’s crucial to be aware that this is a scam designed to compromise your website.

🚨 Potential Risks

If you follow the instructions in the scam email it could lead to severe consequences, including the compromise of your website’s security and data. To avoid falling victim to this scam, delete the email straight away and refrain from following any provided instructions. If you have any doubts or concerns, get in touch with Design for Digital as we’d be happy to help ease your mind.

🕵‍♂️ No Official ‘CVE-2024-46188’ Patch

The scam email may mention a fictitious patch labeled ‘CVE-2024-46188.’ It’s essential to note that there is no such official patch. WordPress updates are released through the official channels, and any communication claiming otherwise should be treated with suspicion.

🔄 Stay Updated

As of 11th January 2024 when this blog article was written, the current version of WordPress is 6.4.2. It’s vital to obtain WordPress updates only from official sources which will help you avoid being a victim of these types of email scams. It’s also crucial to ensure that you regularly backup, test WordPress updates on a development server first and then carry out live updates of your WordPress website once you’re happy no new bugs or issues are present. Failing to update your website software could lead to hackers compromising your website and customer data.

💻 Design for Digital – Your WordPress Experts

For those who prefer professional assistance in maintaining and updating their WordPress websites, Design for Digital is here to help. Our experts specialise in WordPress and can ensure that your website stays up-to-date and secure. If you have any concerns or questions about your website’s security, feel free to reach out to us.

📞 Contact Design for Digital

Contact Design for Digital today via https://www.designfordigital.com/contact/. Let us assist you in safeguarding your business website and ensuring that your WordPress experience is smooth and secure.

Cyber threats are ever-evolving, and staying vigilant is crucial to safeguard your WordPress website. By being aware of potential scams and seeking professional support, you can protect your online presence and maintain a secure digital environment for your business. Remember, when in doubt, always verify the authenticity of communications related to your website’s security.


Google’s 25-Year Adventure: Some Fun and Fascinating Facts

by Design for Digital

Google, the tech giant which has become synonymous with internet search, is celebrating its 25 years this month! Over the past quarter-century, many feel Google has transformed the way we access information, connect with people, and explore the world. To honour this milestone, let’s take a trip down memory lane and explore some fascinating fun facts about Google’s journey so far.

Humble Google Beginnings

Google was born in a Stanford University dorm room when Larry Page and Sergey Brin collaborated on a search engine called “Backrub” – don’t ask! The two founders had a vision to organise the vast amount of information on the internet, and they worked tirelessly to turn their dream into reality.

A Play on Words

Ever wondered why it’s called Google? Well, it’s a play on “googol,” which is 1 followed by 100 zeros. They wanted to tell us they could organize a mind-boggling amount of internet stuff. Mission accomplished!

Google Doodles

Google’s famous doodles started back in 1998. The first one was a simple stick figure visiting the Burning Man festival. Larry and Sergey were basically saying, “We’re out of the office, but hey, we’re still here in spirit!”

What’s to.com for?

Google’s homepage is celebrated for its elegant and minimalist design. However, the company also owns the domain “to.com,” a purchase made in 2016, with the purpose shrouded in mystery. Speculation has it that this domain might have relevance to Google Stadia, the company’s cloud gaming platform, although that’s dead now, so who knows?

A Global Google Reach

Google speaks the language of the world, with its services available in over 150 languages. They’ve set up shop all over the globe, making sure everyone can join in on the Google fun.

Google Giving

Google isn’t just about profits; they’re big on giving back. Google.org is their philanthropic arm, and it’s donated tons of cash to all kinds of good causes, from disaster relief to education.

Dreaming Big

Google doesn’t stop at search. They’ve dipped their toes into self-driving cars (hello, Waymo!) and delved into mind-blowing AI research with DeepMind. Big dreams, big impact.

Daring to take risks

Google’s first ever tweet was “I’m feeling lucky” written in binary code. It was based on their “I’m Feeling Lucky” button on search which took users to the first search result website directly instead of presenting the list.

How many more years will Google be here for?

So, here’s to Google, the tech superstar that started as a crazy idea in a dorm room and became a global phenomenon. From making sense of the internet to exploring new frontiers in tech, Google’s journey has been nothing short of incredible. Cheers to another 25 years of Google magic, fun doodles, and, of course, the occasional mystery of “to.com”. Happy 25th, Google! 🎉


Upgrade to GA4 Now and Keep Monitoring Your Website Traffic

by Design for Digital

In today’s digital age, monitoring a business’s online presence is crucial for its success. This is where web analytics tools like Google Analytics come in handy. You get valuable insights into website user behaviour and interaction. However, as with any technology, Google Analytics is constantly evolving. Google announced major changes to its Analytics platform, specifically with the introduction of Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This is set to replace Universal Analytics. As a result, many businesses must upgrade to GA4 to ensure they don’t lose out on valuable data tracking capabilities.

If your business relies on website traffic monitoring to make informed business decisions, take note of these changes. There are less than three months remaining at writing until Universal Analytics stops collecting data (1st July 2023). It’s important to stay ahead of the curve and upgrade to GA4 as soon as possible. Many businesses rely on for gathering important information on their site visitors.

Analytics data to be deleted

Historical Universal Analytics data (which you’ve been keeping for all of those years) will eventually be deleted by Google after 6 months, as they take heed of GDPR rules. So if you cherish this historical data for comparison sake, you will need to backup the data manually. This approach has also been applied to Google Analytics 4, meaning data will only be stored for up to 12 months now. Therefore if you rely on historical data in Google Analytics, you’ll need to consider the limitations from now on.

Google Analytics 4 is quite different from its predecessors. It offers more features, improved data privacy, and a completely revamped user interface. Many of the old features and reports that we have come to rely on in previous versions of Google Analytics may not be available in GA4 at all. Therefore we need to be prepared to invest time and effort into learning the new platform features and adjust our tracking and report strategies accordingly.

Events instead of goals

GA4 now uses events (something many Universal Analytics and Tag Manager professionals will be familiar with). This means ‘goals’ won’t be available and can’t be migrated across. You’ll instead need to set these up as ‘events’, likely through Tag Manager or website code updates. However, by default GA4 sets up several new default events including:

  • click
  • first_visit
  • page_view
  • scroll
  • session_start

Reports have a different look

Due to the change in tracking data, your Google Analytics 4 report pages look different. There are less options available, with some areas in different locations than Universal Analytics. You’ll find the following sections available to browse in GA4 reports which are fairly self-explanatory:

  • Life cycle
    • Acquisition
      • Overview
      • User Acquisition
      • Traffic Acquisition
    • Engagement
      • Overview
      • Events
      • Conversions
      • Pages and screens
      • Landing page
    • Monetisation
      • Overview
      • E-commerce purchases
      • In-app purchases
      • Publisher ads
      • Promotions
    • Retention
  • User
    • Demographics
      • Overview
      • Demographic details
    • Tech
      • Overview
      • Tech details

Convinced that you need to upgrade to GA4?

Changing your website code is necessary to upgrade and benefit from all GA4 features. If you’re not a coder, then it’s best that you reach out to one of our web developers here at Design for Digital. We can smoothly migrate your analytics account and upgrade to GA4, testing all tracking features. Our experts are on hand to assist with your analytics migration. We also have a powerful website statistical reporting solution (with realtime online and PDF options) which our clients find much easier to use than the analytics dashboard. Call us on 07793 22 68 69 for help with your Google Analytics upgrade.

Contact us for GA4 upgrades