Has HostGator patched the October 2026 PHP vulnerability?
Has acknowledged the issue
HostGator has published something about this, but does not clearly state that patching is complete. Their own page is quoted below so you can judge it.
“Our teams continue to work on deploying patched PHP builds across our remaining hosting infrastructure.”
What HostGator says you should do
They say no action is needed on managed hosting. On VPS and dedicated servers they ask you to run a package update from your control panel.
The strongest claim HostGator makes is that most servers are patched and the rest are in progress. Completion is never stated. HostGator and Bluehost publish near-identical text.
How to check your own site, whatever your host has said
A host’s announcement covers their fleet. The only thing that tells you about your site is your site. In WordPress:
- Log in to WordPress.
- Go to Tools → Site Health.
- Open the Info tab.
- Expand Server. PHP version is the first line.
The fix shipped in PHP 8.2.35, 8.3.36, 8.4.27 and 8.5.12. A version below those does not automatically mean you are exposed — hosts and Linux distributions routinely apply the patch without changing the version number.
Check what your site reports
We load your homepage once and read what it publishes. Most servers hide their PHP version, which is correct of them — so this often comes back empty, and the result tells you where to look instead.
No signup. We load your homepage once — the same single request any visitor makes — and report what it tells us. Nothing else on your site is touched.
Common questions
Has HostGator patched CVE-2026-109618?
HostGator has published something about this but does not clearly state that patching is complete. We quote their wording on this page rather than interpreting it for you.
How do I check what PHP version my HostGator site is running?
In WordPress, go to Tools → Site Health → Info → Server. The PHP version is the first line, and you need no cPanel, FTP or SSH access for it. Most hosts also show the PHP version somewhere in their own control panel, and let you change it there.
My site reports a PHP version below the fix. Does that mean it is vulnerable?
Not necessarily. Hosts and CloudLinux routinely apply security patches to older releases without changing the version number, so a server can report an older version and already have the fix. The version string records what was printed, not what was patched. Your host's support can confirm it definitively.
Other hosts
This page records what HostGator has published, not our own assessment of their infrastructure. We cannot see inside any host. Last checked — if HostGator has published something since, their own site is the authority.