Web Hosting Magic has been offering HardenedPHP hosting packages that support PHP 4.4 for many years.
We have been doing that even after upstream stopped supporting it 13 years ago.
We felt that it is our obligation to assist customers still using old PHP versions to keep their website/application online while working towards an upgrade.
But the technology behind PHP 4.4 is now so outdated that it poses a significant risk not only to the customers using it but also to the systems that support it.
Thus, Web Hosting Magic will officially end support for PHP 4.4 on Jan 1, 2023.
This means that security vulnerabilities in PHP 4.4 will no longer be patched and the verison removed from our systems.
If you are still running an application that requires PHP 4.4, we highly recommend that you start looking around for a way to upgrade the app to work with either:
PHP 5.3
PHP 5.4
PHP 5.5
PHP 5.6
PHP 7.0
PHP 7.1
PHP 7.3
All the above PHP versions can ONLY be hosted in our Iowa data center.
PHP 7.4
PHP 8.0
PHP 8.1
Want to host a PHP application (even one running PHP5.6) securely?
If you recently encountered a situation where your cPanel File Manager is showing another account's directory in the navigation pane, it might have something to do with the Settings.
The cPanel development team is aware of the issue and currently investigating it.
could help securely generate strong, unique passwords for each and every one of your accounts.
We have seen customers not bothering with back-ups.
Even when there are 3 different, easy-to-use self-service backup options.
We have seen customers not acting when our systems send a notification to update an application or its supporting resources (for example WordPress core, plugin, or theme).
Even when such an update is rolled out to patch security vulnerabilities.
It was recently discovered that databases with special functions in MySQL 8.0 fail to backup.
This is due to a change in MySQL 8.0 when handling specific types of data.
The MySQL documentation states the following:
Incompatible Change: Access to the INFORMATION_SCHEMA.FILES table now requires the PROCESS privilege.
This change affects users of the mysqldump command, which accesses tablespace information in the FILES table, and thus now requires the PROCESS privilege as well. Users who do not need to dump tablespace information can work around this requirement by invoking mysqldump with the --no-tablespaces option.
This error is specific to users created under cPanel accounts, for use with applications (such as DB_USER variable in WordPress wp_config.php).
There is no known workaround to allow this to function in the WordPress Toolkit though the WordPress Toolkit developers are aware of the issue.
Until they release a solution for this issue, please use either:
PHPMyAdmin
cPanel's Backup Wizard or
Jetbackup
to take backups of MySQL databases of your WordPress websites.
But even more so, they can be a persistent threat.
With over 30% of all malicious files caused by this kind of infection, cleaning them up can be very tasking to you, the website owner.
The vector of infection can be a situation:
where a developer copies and pastes a code without understanding what it actually does.
via an installed plugin or extension.
or a deliberate infestation that occurred because the website owner has not enforced available two-factor authentication and someone gains access to his or her system.
It doesn't matter how this happens.
One thing that is certain is that this often stays hidden and the authors can selectively call them to function without anyone being any wiser.
But even more so is that the account will stay compromised and will cause malicious files to keep on reappearing.
Today, we are announcing a Malware Database Scanner feature.
Our Malware Database Scanner gets to the bottom of such problems and eliminates those DB infections.
It is a solution designed to get to the bottom of the problems and eliminate those DB infections.
MDS automatically uses information from WordPress configuration files to get DB connection details for each CMS.
Then it safely and reliably backs up suspicious DB data ensuring that each step can be unmade in case an issue arises.
This happens 100% out of sight without you needing to do anything at all.
No SQL knowledge, no connection strings, passwords, etc needed.
For the moment, only WordPress databases are supported.
But it is good to know that all WordPress CMS hosted on our systems have access to this feature.
But the feature will be extended to include all content management systems (CMS) once released.
Please note that while this has been enabled, it is still a beta feature.
Our team (alongside the CL engineers) is closely monitoring its performance and hoping that it will help protect you even better.
If you noticed any odd database behavior, do let us support team know at once.
Thanks and have a beautiful and wonderful weekend.
Our web hosting platform gives you the capability to do more with the best web applications.
And these are always updated to keep you safe.
These are the current ones updated this week:
Mahara has been updated to version 21.04.2. Mahara is an open-source e-portfolio system with a flexible display framework. To install visit our Mahara web hosting packages.
UVdesk has been updated to version 1.0.18. UVdesk community helpdesk project skeleton packaged along with the bare essential utilities and tools to build and customize your own helpdesk solutions.
Bugs package has been updated to version 1.87o. Bugs is a simple issue tracking for teams.
CE Phoenix package has been updated to version 1.0.8.7. CE Phoenix is a powerful e-commerce shop ready to use out of the box, putting you online and in full control of your business.
Symfony3 has been updated to version 4.4.33. Symfony aims to speed up the creation and maintenance of web applications and to replace the repetitive coding tasks with power, control, and pleasure.
Symfony has been updated to version 5.3.10. Symfony aims to speed up the creation and maintenance of web applications and to replace the repetitive coding tasks with power, control, and pleasure.
WHMCS has been updated to version 8.3.1. WHMCS is an all-in-one client management, billing, and support solution for online businesses. WHMCS handles everything from signup to termination, with automated billing, provisioning, and management.
Pimcore has been updated to version 10.2.3. Pimcore is a powerful and robust Zend Framework-based PHP content management system (WCMS) for creating and managing digital content and assets.
TastyIgniter has been updated to version 3.1.1. TastyIgniter is a free open source restaurant ordering and management system. TastyIgniter provides a professional and reliable platform for restaurants wanting to offer customers ways to order food online.
Chevereto Free has been updated to version 1.5.1. Chevereto Free is an application that allows you to set up your own image-sharing website.
DHTMLX has been updated to version 7.2.5. DHTMLX Suite is a JavaScript library that provides a complete set of Ajax-powered UI components to build rich web apps.
UIkit LogoUIkit has been updated to version 3.8.0. UIkit A lightweight and modular front-end framework for developing fast and powerful web interfaces.
LEPTON has been updated to version 5.3.0. LEPTON is an easy-to-use but full customizable Content Management System (CMS). LEPTON enables you to run nearly all the websites most others current CMS promises but never deliver.
GRAV has been updated to version 1.7.24. Grav is a modern, fast, simple, and open-source flat-file CMS. Packed to the gills with amazing features and tools, coupled with heaps of detailed documentation, Grav will make you look like a hero developer. To install visit our Grav web hosting packages.
Invoice Ninja has been updated to version 5.3.29. Invoice Ninja was built to serve freelancers and business owners with a complete suite of invoicing & payment tools to advance your business.
For all others, create a web hosting account and install over 430 web applications with just a click.
Lastly, WordPress Toolkit Deluxe is now included as part of the cPanel & WHM license.
Every cPanel & WHM web hosting package now automatically have access to the Deluxe feature-set, providing enhanced security, cloning, staging, smart updates, and more.
mod_pagespeed, a Google web server module that automatically optimizes and boosts your site performance is now available to all web hosting accounts.
While it is available to be used, customers have to explicitly enable it on their domains and websites to start reaping its benefits.
Before enabling mod_pagespeed for any domain, we highly recommend that you double-check to ensure that it has a valid SSL/TLS certificate (which by the way is FREE to all web hosting accounts).
How To Turn On ModPagespeed For Your Website
To enable mod_pagespeed on your domain:
Log in to cPanel
Select File Manager from the Files section.
Select the .htaccess file and click on Edit
If the file is not visible, configure File Manager to show hidden files.
If you are still unable to see a .htaccess file after toggling File Manager to show hidden files, then you need to manually create one.
The Web Hosting Magic team is happy to announce that our PHP optimization tool called PHP X-Ray has exited beta testing and is now available to customers.
You know that feeling you get when you have done everything you could to optimize your PHP website performance, and still, nothing seems to work.
As a good webmaster, you have gone through the code, done everything you could, and even reinstall the CMS software.
You just can't seem to nail the cause of the sluggish-performing website which can be because of:
poorly-coded plugins & theme
slow database queries
poorly-written code functionality
external calls
slow APIs
and even possibly spikes in website traffic.
The fact is that without a dedicated tracing tool that easily plugs into your CMS and analyzes the site to help you identify the root cause, resolving this might be like shooting in the wind and hoping something will stick.
Enter PHP X-Ray.
PHP X-Ray (located in the Software section) is a tool you can use to monitor and diagnose performance in content management systems (CMS) applications such as WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal easily without affecting uptime.
So instead of tediously combing through web application code and plugins, you can scan your website, identify performance bottlenecks in case of a slow website and resolve them swiftly.
How To Find Your Slow Website Issue Using PHP X-Ray
For accounts or hosting packages with PHP X-Ray enabled, all you need to do is to:
Log in to your cPanel and scroll down to Software.
Click on PHP X-Ray and when the page loads, create a tracing task. If you are unable to see the tool in Jupiter, please change your theme to paper_lantern.
Specify the site URLs or domains that have performance issues by selecting the domain from the drop-down list. To specify URL or wildcard, end-users should use the input field next to the domain. Please note that the URL option should be a valid URL of the domain that exists on your current hosting account. The field supports wildcard matching. Click How to use special characters to learn more about wildcard matching.
Click Run, then visit the site and perform an action.
For instance, you can submit a form on the site to perform a POST request, which will trigger PHP X-Ray data collection.
Now return to the tracing dashboard to review feedback.
You will see the task in the list of tracing tasks.
PHP X-Ray will sort requests by order of the slowest requests at the top so that you can prioritize issues.
View the Details page to get additional information about the performance issue and feedback on the root cause.
Let's say that a WordPress plugin is using extensive resources for the request, you will find the details on this page.
All you have to do is to disable the plugin in the CMS administrative dashboard.
Revisit the site, and performance should improve.
The Details page in the trace dashboard should also show no performance issues.
We hope that this will help you optimize your website without the need to spend a fortune on doing just that.