As someone who's used WordPress for years as both a developer and a website owner, no you won't get a virus from it. If you use it as it is out of the box (or w

As someone who's used WordPress for years as both a developer and a website owner, no you won't get a virus from it. If you use it as it is out of the box (or with vetted, popular plugins from the official directory) and update whenever necessary, it's just as secure as any other CMS can be. What causes some people to have security problems on the other hand is usually either: A: They've not updated for years/not at all, hence security vulnerability stick around right under their nose. B: Their theme is poorly built and from some shady site trying to insert backdoors or what not for whatever reason. C: They're using poorly made plugins (this questionable third party product quality issue is always the trade off for using open software/anything that lets you run your own code, and can be migitated by not downloading anything from dodgy looking websites). D: Or perhaps that they've annoyed someone/some organisation with way more technical ability than you can practically guard against. Which again, is an issue with almost any script or program. A site based around 'hacking' could be run on the digital equivalent of Fort Knox, and it'd still probably be hacked every few weeks or so. If you're reasonable about the software and don't do anything too silly, it's about as safe as any of its alternatives. Can't disagree with the latter two points though. The latter's why reading Medium is basically a chore nowadays.