WordPress 6.4.2 Maintenance & Security Release

This minor release of WordPress 6.4.2, published on December 6, 2023 features 7 bug fixes in Core. The fixes include a bug fix for an issue causing stylesheet and theme directories to sometimes return incorrect results. This release also features one security fix. Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately. A Remote Code Execution vulnerability that is not directly exploitable in Core, however the security team feels that there is a potential for high severity when combined with some plugins, especially in multisite installs.

You can download WordPress 6.4.2 from WordPress.org, or visit your WordPress Dashboard, click “Updates”, and then click “Update Now”. If you have sites that support automatic background updates, the update process will begin automatically. On this site, the auto-updated kicked in only 30 minutes after its release.

WordPress 6.4.2 is a short-cycle release. WordPress 6.5, planned to be released on March 26th, 2024, will be including new design tools for classic themes, improved pattern management, enhanced template data views, robust revisions, customizable mobile navigation overlays, and advanced APIs for block interactivity and custom fields, alongside continued PHP compatibility work and performance improvements​​​​​​.

About WordPress 6.4

WordPress 6.4 brought significant updates, including the Twenty Twenty-Four theme, a versatile default theme for various website types. Key enhancements include color controls for the Content block within the Query Loop, allowing customization of text, background, and link colors. The addition of background image block support, especially for the Group block, enables setting background images for layout sections.

Another notable feature is the lightbox effect for images, allowing users to view images in a popup. WordPress 6.4 also introduced vertical text orientation support, useful for themes supporting right-to-left text.

The Command Palette was refined, adding new commands for block management, and the List View in the block editor improved, offering renaming of group blocks and image previews for better layout management. For developers, block hooks allow extending blocks dynamically, and under-the-hood changes include new admin notice functions and a framework for adding revisions for post meta.

Credits

• Picture of Jökulsárlón, Iceland by Jeremy Goldberg.
• Full release notes and further credits on wordpress.org/news.