For security, hide wordpress version number

What is the best, plugin to hide the wordpress version number of a blog? Apparently, this simple tip reduces the automated attacks on ones Wordpress blog.

 

there's not really a plugin that does it..but what you do is this:

click "Presentation", click "Theme Editor"
and then select "header.php"

look for this line:
<meta name="generator" content="WordPress <?php bloginfo('version'); ?>" /> <!-- leave this for stats -->

delete it or uncomment it and then save your changes...

that's it

 

Actually, it doesn't really. All it does it create a false sense of security. If the version is vulnerable, it's vulnerable with or without a displayed version number. This is a myth that has been propagated by everyone from phpBB through vBulletin to Wordpress.

The only way to really protect yourself is to make sure you're always running the latest version.

 

I can't see the logic here...what's that have to do with automated attacks???

 

I think the idea here is to block all attempts of hackers searching for generic text in the Wordpress code, to pull up wordpress sites through a search...

the best way to do it is to remove all of that generic text, like the "powered by..." link, possibly any commented-out text, or anything else that you can see in the source code.

 

It took a few days but did find the article that suggested hiding the wordpress version number. It was a comment posted on matt cutts blog on a post that he did on security ( http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/three-tips-to-protect-your-wordpress-installation/ )

 

The point is that anyone searching for version number would be looking for known security vulnerabilities in outdated code, just the way that hackers search for outdated versions of phpBB. The reason in both cases is the same: It's open source software that way too many people install and never or rarely update when new versions/updates are released.

The smarter hackers don't look for version numbers - they just search for "Wordpress" or "phpBB" and attempt the hack on any installations they find.

If you're using an outdated script with a known vulnerability, hiding the version number won't protect you.

Again, as i said above, the answer is to update the scripts whenever and as soon as an update is released. Any other strategy, perhaps especially hiding the version number, is nothing more than a false sense of security.

 

I'm sure just hiding the version number won't make much difference. If people want to hack into your site, there are other ways they can find it out.