PHP

How it works

• WordPress, most contact forms and most online shops run on PHP.
• Your host installs a PHP version on the server. Each version gets security fixes for a few years, then stops.
• Many sites announce their PHP version to every visitor, which tells attackers which flaws to try.
• An old version keeps working, so nobody notices it stopped getting fixes.

What can go wrong (example scenario)

A six-person accounting office had a WordPress site built in 2019 and never touched the hosting since. The server still ran a PHP version that stopped getting fixes years ago. An automated attack used a known flaw to plant a fake login page on the site, and clients started getting phishing emails that linked to it.

How WILDCARD handles it

Managed Hosting keeps PHP on a supported version, applies fixes as they ship and hides the version number from the public. Check your own site in three seconds with the free PHP version check, or read what PHP2Shell means for a small business.

• A dental clinic's booking form runs on PHP and needs the host's version kept current.
• A retail shop on WooCommerce gets a PHP update and a plugin breaks, so updates get tested first.
• A contractor's site shows its PHP version in every page header, telling attackers exactly what to try.

A question owners ask

Do I need to know what PHP version my site runs?

No, but someone should. Ask your host or web person, or run the free check. If nobody can answer, that is the answer.