---
title: Security audit
canonical: https://wpsecurityninja.com/dictionary/security-audit/
---
# Security audit

A security audit is a structured review of a site’s risks, misconfigurations, and recommended fixes.

Last updated: 2026-08-26

Also called: WordPress security audit

## Related terms

- [Vulnerability](https://wpsecurityninja.com/dictionary/vulnerability/): A vulnerability is a weakness in software that attackers can abuse to break confidentiality, integrity, or availability.
- [Security hardening](https://wpsecurityninja.com/dictionary/security-hardening/): Hardening is the set of configuration and process changes that make a site harder to abuse.
- [False positive](https://wpsecurityninja.com/dictionary/false-positive/): A false positive is an alert that looks like a problem but turns out to be benign after review.
- [Scheduled scanning](https://wpsecurityninja.com/dictionary/scheduled-scanning/): Scheduled scanning runs security checks automatically on a repeating timetable and can alert you to new findings.
- [CVE](https://wpsecurityninja.com/dictionary/cve/): A CVE is a public identifier for a known cybersecurity vulnerability tracked in shared databases.

[Full guide](https://wpsecurityninja.com/wordpress-security-audit-guide/)

## Why it matters for WordPress

Gut feel is not a plan. An audit turns “we should be more secure” into ordered work: outdated plugins, leftover admins, missing backups, open XML-RPC, weak login controls. Agencies use the same pass before launch or after a scare.

## How it shows up in practice

- Scored security tests with pass/fail items you can re-run
- A spreadsheet of plugin versions next to known CVEs
- External review notes before go-live or after a compromise
- Monthly checks on client sites where nobody watches the dashboard daily

## What to do

1. Inventory software, users with elevated roles, and backup restore proof.
2. Run automated tests, then verify anything that looks wrong (false positives happen).
3. Fix high-impact issues first: admin access, known CVEs, missing restores.
4. Re-run after changes so the report matches the live site.

## In WP Security Ninja

[Security tests](https://wpsecurityninja.com/security-tests/) give a structured hardening checklist you can re-run after fixes. Combine them with the [vulnerability scanner](https://wpsecurityninja.com/vulnerabilities/) so configuration issues and known CVEs show up in one review cycle. Full walkthrough: [WordPress security audit guide](https://wpsecurityninja.com/wordpress-security-audit-guide/).