Big picture here for a second. Security should be a priority above all. So even a control freak like me has to accept the automated updates. That said though, (and off the subject a bit), even if they make the core 100% secure, which is impossible historically speaking, the whole WordPress system is set up to be exploited by other means.

You can secure the core all you want, but still you can have huge security holes in your site thanks to Themes and plugins. If you look at themecheck.org, there are countless themes with security warnings, and nobody has a similar tool for plugins.

Until the WP core is changed so that only "safe" themes and plugins can be activated, all the talk of securing the core is almost meaningless. You are patching one of the three possible "danger" areas. You have to secure all three of them, and even that is not 100% effective, since that leaves the actual server, which in most cases we are at the mercy of the hosting companies, but at least you will know for sure that your WordPress installation is secure.

Why is it that nobody is talking about third party Theme and Plugin security? Is it because the developers are busy way more important things, like distraction free writing, and placing menus in the customizer?