WordPress has released version 3.5.1 of their WordPress blog script.

For more information on this release see their release notes:

http://wordpress.org/news/2013/01/wordpress-3-5-1

All users are encouraged to upgrade and to make sure any themes and plugins are also updated if necessary.

Steven

Joomla! recently released version 3.0 of their popular CMS product. You can read more about Joomla! 3.0 at it’s release notes. With the release of Joomla! 3.0 I thought it might be a good idea to give an outlook on the different versions of Joomla!

Currently there are only two versions of Joomla! that are being supported by the Joomla! developers:

• Version 2.5 – Latest version as of October 8, 2012 2.5.7
• Version 3.0 – Latest version as of October 8, 2012 3.0.0

Technically speaking if you are using any version of Joomla! that is not one of these versions, then you are running an unsupported version of Joomla!

I know there are a lot of users that are still using Joomla! 1.5. Please understand Joomla! no longer supports this version and you really need to be updating to Joomla! 2.5. If you are using Joomla! 1.5 then you should consider reviewing the instructions for migrating to Joomla! 2.5. I can understand the reluctance to upgrade Joomla! because it may not be an easy process. However, please understand that if you continue to use an outdated piece of software, it puts your website and the web server in general at risk. A security hole in Joomla! 1.5 will not be patched because the Joomla! developers are no longer maintaining Joomla! 1.5. If you have questions or concerns about the upgrade process for Joomla! I strongly encourage you to ask these questions or voice these concerns at the Joomla! Forums.

While AMS Computer Services cannot provide any direct support for Joomla! As of today, October 8, 2012 we are allowing the following versions of Joomla! to run on our servers:

• Version 1.5.26
• Version 2.5.7
• Version 3.0.0

Note that this is including the latest version of Joomla! 1.5, even though it is not supported by the Joomla! developers. This just means that we will not disable any Joomla! sites that are using any of these version (1.5.26, 2.5.7, or 3.0.0). However, please note, we will not be able to allow Joomla! 1.5 indefinitely, eventually we will have to stop allowing Joomla! 1.5 on our servers, which is why all Joomla! 1.5 users need to be looking at upgrading to Joomla! 2.5. Please consider this fair warning regarding Joomla! 1.5.

If you are not using one of these versions, then your website may be susceptible to attack and as a result we may have to disable or suspend your hosting account. For example, if you are using Joomla! 1.5.22 note that this is an outdated version, you need to, at the very least, upgrade to Joomla! 1.5.26 and ideally upgrade to Joomla! 2.5.7. If you are using Joomla! 1.0.12 then you need to upgrade to either Joomla! 1.5.26 or (ideally) Joomla! 2.5.7.

Failing to keep the scripts on your website up to date means that you will be targetted for abusive attacks by malicious users.

As for Joomla! 3.0 note that this is really more of a beta release. Joomla! 3.0 is a short-term release, meaning that it is going to go through many updates over the next few months. This is not really ideal for live, production level websites. For production level sites, there is nothing wrong with staying with Joomla! 2.5 at this time, however I would encourage you to begin looking at Joomla! 3.0 and getting involved with that project because you will eventually need to upgrade to Joomla! 3.5, when it becomes a long-term release. I would stress that I really don’t recommend upgrading to Joomla! 3.0 at this time, but just that you need to be made aware of it’s existence and upgrade paths.

Steven

WordPress has released version 3.3.2 of their popular blogging software. All WordPress users need to update to this version. This version is available in Softaculous in your cPanel. If you install WordPress through Softaculous in your cPanel, then you should consider updating that install through Softaculous in your cPanel.

Failure to update to version 3.3.2 – and continuing to keep your WordPress script up-to-date – can lead to your website being hacked and exploited! All WordPress users need to update.

This is also a good time to check for any plugins or themes that you are using on your WordPress site that may also need updating.

Release information regarding this update is available at:

http://wordpress.org/news/2012/04/wordpress-3-3-2/

Steven

A new version of Joomla! has been released. Version 2.5.4. All users are encouraged to upgrade.

For more information see the Joomla! 2.5.4 release notice:

http://www.joomla.org/announcements/release-news/5418-joomla-254-released.html

Steven

Joomla! has released version 2.5.3 of their popular CMS program. This is a security release. Information and release notes are available at:

http://www.joomla.org/announcements/release-news/5416-joomla-253-released.html

This release fixes two high priority security issues in Joomla! 2.5.2. All users are encouraged to upgrade.

The updated version of Joomla! is not yet available in Softaculous on our servers. As soon as it becomes available I will update this post. I just wanted to make the announcement regarding this update because it does affect the security of your Joomla! based website.

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(Update: 03/19/2012 4:05PM CST)
Softaculous has been updated to include Joomla! 2.5.3 now.
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Steven