Theme behind

Why it matters

A theme contains code just like a plugin, and holes in it are fixed in new versions. An old theme also often blocks other updates, because it does not work with a newer WordPress or PHP.

How Snaglist checks it

This is part of the security check, a separate check next to the crawl, in Studio and Bureau, and only on a site you have verified. Snaglist only looks at what any visitor can see from outside. It never logs in, guesses no passwords and sends no attacks. It recognises the theme by the addresses of its files, reads the version and compares it with the newest version on wordpress.org.

Common causes

• Changes were made in the theme itself, so updating would undo them
• Updates for themes are not switched on
• A theme that is no longer maintained

How to fix it

1. Make a backup of the site.
2. Changes in the theme itself? Move them to a child theme first.
3. Update the theme and check the most important pages.
4. Theme no longer maintained? Plan a switch to another theme.
5. Run the security check again to confirm.

How it shows in the report

In the report for your client this appears under the heading "The theme is out of date". When everything is in order, the report says: "The theme is up to date".