“WordPress 5.5.2 Update Fiasco”
The latest WordPress update was more of a debacle than a solution, requiring a further update to fix it. The WordPress development team launched a faulty update that made it impossible to install new WordPress sites. Moreover, when they paused the update, it created more problems. Thus, necessitating an emergency update to fix all the ‘problems’ at once.
Flawed WordPress 5.5.2 Security Update
The fiasco began on October 29, 2020. A routine security update meant for countering issues like Cross-Site Request Forgeries, XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) attacks caused new WordPress installations to fail.
Before the company could get a hold of it, a bug was introduced with the update unknowingly.
According to WordPress – The bug restricts WordPress’s installation on a brand new website that does not have a database connection configured yet. However, it does not affect those that already have a database connection configured, for example, via one-click installers or an existing wp-config.php file.
But when WordPress paused version 5.5.2, a rogue update launched itself out automatically.
WordPress Alpha Update:
While the WordPress team was working on getting WordPress 5.5.3 ready to fix the earlier bug, the automated WordPress system selected an Alpha version of WordPress 5.5.3 and pushed it for downloading and installation.
It was an added nightmare for them, considering the Alpha version, never meant to pass through auto-updates.
What Went Wrong:
The absence of any formal documentation on preventing a WordPress update opened the way for the Alpha version to commence rolling out.
According to the WordPress official, technical details post: The release system of a version is complicated, and there was never a defined documented way of “stopping” it. No one attempted it before, so it turned out wrong that led to unexpected results when it happened.
Such an instance will not happen again as this fiasco allowed them to improve the documentation, coding, and management of the release system.
WordPress 5.5.3 Alpha Bugs
The bug introduced additional WordPress themes and installed Akismet. There is nothing wrong with it, but publishers can feel burdened, who have continued with it, regularly updating it. Any failure to do it can pose a grave security risk.
WordPress 5.5.3
WordPress has fixed all the issues and came up with the latest update, Version 5.5.3. It is everything that version 5.5.2 intended to be, minus the associated problems. Moreover, WordPress 5.5.3 also fixes all bugs and issues started by the 5.5.2 version in the first place.
Conclusion:
Check your WordPress installations and make sure it is updated to Version 5.5.3, to avoid any security issues further. In case you have disabled the auto-update, install it manually by downloading ‘WordPress 5.5.3’ or visiting the dashboard for updates and clicking “Update Now.”
The WordPress 5.5.3 maintenance release did not apologize to people but thanked its development team for fixing the fiasco quickly.