5 Common PHP Website Programs and How to Keep Them Up-To-Date
Keeping your web site’s software up to date is not only useful, it’s an important security practice. Every web site owner or webmaster should learn how to do this to protect your web site from hackers. Below, we list the most common PHP web applications on our servers and how to upgrade them.
A cautionary tale: This could be you, if you don’t upgrade! A web hosting customer never upgraded the software that they originally installed on the site. The site was hacked, and the hackers installed a fake bank website — designed to fool unsuspecting users into revealing their online banking info. Also, they installed a spam program that sent out hundreds of emails, causing the server, and their email addresses to be temporarily blacklisted — meaning that when they tried to email anyone, it was blocked by spam filters and their emails could not get through. Another customer got hacked, and they simply put a pirate skull and crossbones on their home page, and deleted their files.
It should go without saying that the first step is to back up your current site. If anything goes wrong, you can restore the backup. CPanel makes it ridiculously simple to make a backup of your site. Log in to your site’s control panel (ususally your-site.com/cpanel – replace your-site.com with your actual domain name). Click on the backup wizard or backup icon. Make a complete backup, which will be stored on the server. Also download a copy of your files, databases, and email filters to your local machine.
WordPress
WordPress after version 2.7 has an automatic upgrade built-in. If you log into your /wp-admin area, it should tell you if your software is out-of-date and provide you an automatic upgrade link. It still makes sense to make a backup before you do this.
For older versions of WordPress, you can find directions on the wordpress site for how to upgrade.
Don’t forget to check your plugins link in the wp-admin screen to see if there are updated versions of plugins. Frequently plugins have security holes, too.
Joomla
Joomla’s upgrade instructions are available on docs.joomla.org. You should also make sure to check all components, modules, and mambots that you have installed for the latest versions.
Drupal
Drupal has a detailed upgrade guide available at http://drupal.org/upgrade/ Also, make sure to check drupal.org for the latest versions of any drupal modules you have installed.
PHPList
PHPList is critically important to keep updated because if it is comprimised hackers can send out SPAM with it! Read the upgrade instructions.
CubeCart
CubeCart has commercial support available and online forums. Anything related to ecommerce, accepting payments, and delivering inventory should be kept up-to-date at all times.
Other Software
Usually answers can be found by googling “upgrade name-of-software”. Replace name-of-software with the actual name of your software.
Stuck?
If you’ve tried upgrading, and you’re totally stuck, or your existing webmaster has skipped town, contact our sales team for a quote. Let us know what software you have, which version, and any customizations you have made. We can let you know about our availability for consulting work. Consulting work is not included in your monthly web hosting fee — there is an hourly rate.
Category: Knowledgebase
Created on: July 7th, 2009
