Gutenberg 16.1 introduces reusable patterns, WordSesh speaker shares agency-to-plugin insights, and Ultimate Member vulnerability puts 200k sites at risk

This post was curated and edited by Ben Gillbanks. Ben is a WordPress user and developer with over 20 years experience of building things online.

Welcome to WP Briefs, your source for the latest news and updates in the WordPress community. Today is Monday, July 3rd, 2023, and here are today’s headlines:

In our first story, Gutenberg 16.1 has been released with some exciting new features. This update introduces Pattern Creation and Library, allowing users to create reusable patterns for their websites. Additionally, a Distraction Free Mode has been added to the Site Editor, providing a more focused editing experience. These improvements aim to enhance the functionality and user experience of Gutenberg.

Moving on to our next story, a speaker at WordSesh 2022 shared their experience of shutting down their agency to start a plugin business. The slides from this talk have been made available for others to benefit from. This insightful presentation offers valuable insights into transitioning from an agency model to a plugin-focused business.

In security news, hackers are taking advantage of an unpatched vulnerability in the Ultimate Member plugin for WordPress. This critical flaw puts approximately 200,000 websites at risk of ongoing attacks. The vulnerability affects all versions of the Ultimate Member plugin, including the latest release on June 29th, 2023. Website owners using this plugin should take immediate action to protect their sites.

Next up, we have an interesting tidbit about the development process behind WordPress Playground. Surprisingly, the initial prototype of this project was created in just one week! While experience played a role in its creation, there were also elements of chaos and clever tricks involved.

Shifting gears again, we come across an intriguing story about learning marketing from a hacker’s perspective. Kathy Zant talks about learning from a nameless hacker who shared SEO knowledge on forums, built a strong personal brand, and gave before asking.

Finally, we delve into the world of data analysis with regards to WordPress plugins. As part of their work on the WordPress Core Performance Team, Weston Ruter analyzed plugins in the WordPress Plugin Directory. Their focus is on adding async and defer support to scripts, a much-awaited feature that will be included in WordPress 6.3. To aid in their analysis, they utilize the helpful tool WordPress Plugin Directory Slurper and WordPress Directory Searcher.

That’s all for today’s news on WP Briefs. Stay tuned for more updates and insights from the world of WordPress.

Related links

• Gutenberg 16.1 Introduces Pattern Creation and Library, Adds Distraction Free Mode to Site Editor
• I shut down my agency to start a plugin business
• Hackers Exploiting Unpatched WordPress Plugin Flaw to Create Secret Admin Accounts
• WordPress Playground was prototyped in a week
• How I learned to market from a hacker
• Running the WordPress Plugin Directory Slurper