Hacking WordPress Core – Why You Shouldn't Do it?

Hacking the WordPress Core can make it very difficult to upgrade to the latest version of WordPress.Keeping WordPress current is an important step in overall web site security. If any security vulnerability is discovered a patch is typically released very quickly. If you can’t upgrade because you have modified Core files, you are opening up your web site to these security vulnerabilities being exploited and your web site getting hacked.

Hacking Core can also lead to an unstable web site because many parts of  WordPress rely on other parts to function as expected. If you make changes to those parts it could break something completely unrelated to what you have changed.Security is another reason why you shouldn’t hack Core.WordPress Core is viewed and scrutinized by security experts all over the world. By hacking Core you are relying on your own expertise to make your hacks secure. If you don’t understand the many different ways a hacker can exploit your code you might end up creating a security vulnerability within the Core of WordPress.

The final reason why you should never hack Core is compassion. That is, compassion toward the developer who comes after you to maintain the web site. Most web sites will change developers over the years so there is no guarantee you will be working on a particular web site five years from now.Imagine the developer that follows you trying to determine what Core files were hacked to make the web site function. This can be a nightmare for any developer and it puts the web site owner in a bad position because most developers will refuse to work on a hacked version of WordPress. If you hack Core, you are building dependencies that will either be misunderstood or hidden, and when the WordPress Core is upgraded for this site, the hacked Core will break in silent, evil, or loud ways.

Any feature or functionality that does not exist in WordPress can be added with a plugin. Sometimes a Core hack may be the easy answer, but in the long run it will make your life harder.  WordPress is extremely flexible, which is one of its major strengths, and therefore should never be hacked. Don’t hack Core! In the other words ,leave it as it is! It’s better.

Tagged as: hacking core wordpress, wordpress core hacking, wordpress hacking