PHP Rating: How WeScore Your Site’s PHP Health
Your PHP version is the foundation of your WordPresssite’s performance, security, and compatibility. Our PHP Rating distilsall that into a single, trustworthy score you can track and improve.
Whatthe PHP Rating Represents
· A 1–6score reflecting both vulnerability severity and version freshness.
· Itanswers two questions:
· Are there known vulnerabilities in yourinstalled PHP version?
· Is your PHP version current, or is it outdated?
HowWe Calculate the PHP Rating
· Weanalyze your installed PHP version for known vulnerabilities by severity:
· Critical, High, Medium, Low
· Ifany vulnerabilities are found,we assign the score based on the worst severity:
· Critical → 1
· High → 2
· Medium → 3
· Low/none but risk flagspresent → 4
· Outdated (no CVEs, but behindlatest) → 5
·If no vulnerabilities are found:
· Fully current (or ahead) → 6(Secure)
· Behind the latest supported release → 5(Outdated)
In short: known CVEs drive the scoredown; being on a supported, up‑to‑date PHP version pushesthe score up.
Score Meanings at a Glance
·6 — Secure:No known PHP vulnerabilities andversion is current
·5 — Outdated: No known CVEs,but PHP version is behind
· 4 —At Risk: Low‑level concerns detected
·3 — At Risk: Medium‑severity vulnerabilities present
·2 — Vulnerable: High‑severity vulnerabilities present
·1 — Critical: Critical‑severityvulnerabilities present; immediate action required
Why PHP Rating Matters
· Security:Old PHP versions miss critical patches andattract exploits.
·Performance:Newer versions are faster and more efficient.
· Compatibility:Plugins, themes, and WordPress itself expect supported PHPversions.
How to Improve Your PHP Rating
·Update to a supportedPHP release (prefer the latest stable your stacksupports).
· Test updates instaging; confirm compatibility with WordPress core, theme, and plugins.
· Establisha quarterly review to keep PHP from drifting behind.
ExampleScenarios
·PHP has 1 High vulnerability →Score 2 (Vulnerable)
· No vulnerabilities,but version is behind → Score 5 (Outdated)
Novulnerabilitiesandversioniscurrent→ Score6(Secure)