What HostGator says
HostGator status announcement 'PHP Update' (21 Oct 2026, updates at 12:18 and 13:00 EST) says teams have made significant progress applying the latest PHP security patches, most servers are done and the rest are being rolled out. It does not name the CVEs or plans, expects no site impact beyond possible upload size limits, and states no required action beyond keeping the environment current.
significant progress applying the latest PHP security patchesWhat you need to do
No action required per HostGator. Keep WordPress and plugins updated and consider moving the site to a current PHP version via the portal or MultiPHP Manager.
Check which PHP your site runs
cPanel > Software > MultiPHP Manager (shows PHP version per domain); Customer Portal > Websites > Manage Site > Advanced tab > PHP Version
In WordPress, Tools › Site Health › Info › Server shows the PHP version. Paste it into the version check to see whether it is fixed.
Switch to a supported version
Customer Portal > Websites > Manage Site > Advanced tab > PHP Version > Change PHP Version > Apply; or cPanel > Software > MultiPHP Manager > select domain > version > Apply
If you can, choose PHP 8.4. It is fixed, supported until 31 December 2028 and runs almost all current plugins. See which version to choose.
Old PHP versions
We found no paid support for old PHP versions at HostGator.
Ask HostGator directly
Copy this into a support ticket and fill in the parts in square brackets.
Hello HostGator support,
PHP released fixes for CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619 (CVSS 9.2) on 21 October 2026: PHP 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36 and 8.2.35.
My account: [account or contract number]
My site: [domain]
PHP version shown in my control panel: [version]
Please confirm:
1. Whether the PHP that serves my site has been updated to one of the fixed releases, or to a build with the fix backported, and the exact version.
2. Whether the PHP processes for my site have been restarted since the update.
3. If not yet, when you expect to finish.
4. If my version is 8.1 or older, which supported version you recommend I switch to.
Thank you.