Lots of websites are down! Here’s an explanation!

If you use a Windows computer you’ll find that Microsoft often install security updates to keep hackers out and although these usually work okay sometimes they can mess up things on your computer that then have to be sorted out by someone who knows what they are doing!

It’s similar with most websites except they don’t use windows – they use a code called PHP.

PHP also produces regular updates and – like Windows – although these are mostly okay it’s not unusual for the update  to totally screw up websites so they are not automatically installed: they wait for the person running the site to do it and if they are working to the maxim “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” updates don’t always happen!

The bad news is that if a site is running old versions of PHP then right  now it’s highly vulnerable – and lots are!  This is why many have closed their websites whilst IT experts do the update and sort any resulting problems.

The good news is that Bloxham Online is already running the latest version of PHP 8.5.12 and so hopefully should remain perfectly safe to use – well – at least until the next AI hacking issue!