The EasyWP Dispatch – Designers embrace ChatGPT

Welcome to the latest EasyWP Dispatch news roundup! This week, we bring you three key topics making waves in the digital landscape. Design professionals are embracing ChatGPT as their preferred AI tool, revolutionizing the way they approach creativity. Additionally, we look at some fresh blogging tips from WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy. Then, we delve into a critical WordPress File Manager plugin vulnerability affecting over a million websites, underscoring the importance of diligent web security. 

ChatGPT is the preferred AI tool for designers

In a recent survey conducted by Procreator Design, a Global UI UX Design Agency, 86% of professionals in the design industry have embraced ChatGPT as the dominant AI tool. Over 400 designers from around the world, including those from major companies like Meta, Adobe, Google, IBM, and more, participated in the survey, highlighting the growing significance of AI in design.

The survey revealed several key insights, as summarized by the online journal Mid-Day:

• 86% of respondents use ChatGPT, emphasizing the pivotal role of conversational AI in modern design processes.
• MidJourney (35%) and Dall-E (22%) are used by over 57% of the respondents, indicating a significant trend in visual content creation through AI.
• 28% of participants use Canva, demonstrating the democratization of design and enabling individuals without traditional design backgrounds to create professional visuals.

AI is increasingly viewed as a tool that accelerates creativity, reduces errors, and enhances data-powered design, with 58.81% of design professionals expressing this perspective. However, 53% of respondents believe that the value of design projects may decrease in 2024.

An official WordPress blog refresher

In the most recent episode of the WordPress Briefing podcast, Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy takes a step back to explore the essentials of starting your first WordPress blog. WordPress may have evolved into a robust content management system, but its roots are firmly planted in blogging, with the mission of democratizing publishing. Josepha shares practical tips and guidance to kickstart your blogging journey, from having a clear idea and plan, selecting the right hosting service, to choosing themes and plugins that suit your vision. 

Whether you’re new to blogging or looking for a refresher, this episode provides valuable insights to help you get started. Dive deeper into the current world of WordPress blogging by listening to the full podcast or reading the transcript.

WordPress File Manager plugin vulnerability

A critical security vulnerability has emerged in WordPress’s widely used File Manager plugin, impacting over a million websites. Search Engine Journal reports this vulnerability carries a severity rating of 8.1 out of 10 and has the potential to allow unauthenticated attackers access to sensitive data, including information stored in website backups.

What makes this vulnerability particularly alarming is that hackers do not require login credentials, making it an unauthenticated attack. In essence, it exploits a security gap within the File Manager plugin related to the use of insufficiently random values.

The vulnerability affects all plugin versions up to and including 7.2.1 but has been addressed in the latest update, version 7.2.2. To protect their websites from potential exploits, users of the File Manager plugin are strongly advised to promptly update to the latest version. This incident underscores the critical importance of regularly updating plugins and software to maintain the security of WordPress sites.

And that’s a wrap for this round of The EasyWP Dispatch! If you’ve enjoyed these insights, don’t forget to dig into our stash of previous editions for more WordPress goodies. Keep your peepers peeled here for all the fresh and funky stuff happening in the world of web design and development. Stay inspired, and keep those creative juices flowing.