PHP2Shell went public on 21 October 2026, and security teams already call it the worst PHP flaw in years. Attackers were testing it from 17 October, before any fix existed, and the fix itself only covers PHP 8.2 onward. A PHP 7.0 server is left without one. Don't worry: we move your app to a patched PHP 8.4 in 7 days. Read our guide to updating PHP.
Techno Mantraa provides PHP 7.0 to PHP 8.4 upgrade services in USA and UK for companies whose app was moved to PHP 7 around 2016 and then left alone. PHP 7.0 received its last security release in January 2019, so the server has gone close to eight years without a fix, and PHP2Shell will not be fixed on it either.
A lot of PHP 7.0 code is really PHP 5 code that was patched just enough to run. The deprecation notices it threw back then now matter. Old PHP 4 style constructors, marked deprecated in 7.0, simply stop acting as constructors in PHP 8.0. each() and create_function(), deprecated in 7.2, are gone in 8.0. mcrypt was pulled out of the core in 7.2. Calling a function with too few arguments has thrown an Error since 7.1.
We work through all of that on a staging copy, bring your Composer packages up to versions that support PHP 8, and launch the same app on a patched PHP 8.4 release.
Reasons to leave PHP 7.0 now
Staying put costs more each month: no patches, fewer hosts willing to run it and fewer libraries that still install on it.
A patch for PHP2Shell
PHP 8.4.27 includes the fix for both CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619. No such release exists for 7.0, and none will.
Current packages install again
Most Composer libraries dropped PHP 7.0 years ago. On 8.4 you get today's versions of payment SDKs, mailers and PDF tools, with their own security fixes.
Room to build
Named arguments, enums, match expressions and readonly properties make new features cleaner and cut the bugs your team spends time chasing.
Inside our PHP 7.0 to 8.4 upgrade
- Scan for every PHP 7.1 to 8.4 breaking change in your code
- PHP 4 style constructors converted to __construct
- each() and create_function() replaced with foreach and closures
- mcrypt code moved to OpenSSL or sodium
- count() calls on non-countable values fixed
- Curly brace string offsets and unbracketed nested ternaries rewritten
- Composer lock file rebuilt on PHP 8 compatible packages
- Live server switched to a patched PHP 8.4 build
The 7-day plan for a PHP 7.0 app
Day 1: Find the breaks
Static analysis with PHPStan and PHPCompatibility lists each file and line that fails on 8.4, and we turn it into a fixed quote.
Days 2-4: Repair
Constructors, removed functions, encryption and package updates are fixed on a private copy running PHP 8.4.
Days 5-6: Check
Logins, forms, emails, uploads and admin screens are tested side by side with the 7.0 copy, then you review them yourself.
Day 7: Launch
The live server moves to PHP 8.4 in a low-traffic window, with the old setup kept ready for a fast rollback.
PHP 7.0 vs PHP 8.4 at a glance
How the two releases differ for a site that has to stay online and safe.
| PHP 7.0 | PHP 8.4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Last security fix | 10 January 2019 | Fixes until 31 December 2028 |
| PHP2Shell | Unpatchable | Patched in 8.4.27 |
| Constructors | PHP 4 style still works with a warning | Only __construct counts |
| Types | Scalar and return types, no nullables | Nullable, union, intersection and DNF types |
| Encryption | mcrypt still bundled | OpenSSL and sodium built in |
| Package support | Dropped by most libraries | Targeted by current releases |
Why work with us on PHP 7.0
We have cleaned up enough half-migrated PHP 5 code to know where it breaks, and we test the old and new versions side by side.
Nothing changes for your users
Same URLs, same screens, same data. The only thing that changes is the PHP version underneath and the bugs we fix on the way.
Written change log you can give to any future developer.
Fixed price, set after a free scan of the code.
Upgrading PHP 7.0 apps for US and UK companies
This service is meant for American and British firms running a PHP 7.0 portal, store or internal tool that nobody has upgraded since it was first moved off PHP 5. Our team in India shares several working hours with US Eastern time and the whole UK day, and we reply on the same day you write.
You get an NDA, a single fixed price and an offshore cost that sits well below local rates, plus a daily note on what was fixed.
Official sources: PHP supported versions · PHP security releases · PHP 8.4 migration guide
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about our PHP 7.0 to PHP 8.4 Upgrade service.
Most small and medium apps are finished in 7 days, scan to launch. Very large codebases get a phased plan, with the first section live on PHP 8.4 inside the same 7 days and the remaining parts released after it.
Yes. The flaws reach every PHP version back to PHP 5. Fixed releases were only published for PHP 8.2, 8.3, 8.4 and 8.5, so there is no way to patch 7.0 itself.
PHP 8.0 removed functions that 7.x only warned about, stopped treating PHP 4 style methods as constructors, changed string to number comparison and turned many warnings into TypeErrors. Each of those needs a small code change.
We would not advise it. PHP 7.4 lost security support in November 2022 and cannot be patched for PHP2Shell either. Going to 8.4 costs only a little more and buys support until 2028.
No. We change the code behind the pages, not the design. Your visitors see the same site, usually a little faster.
Yes. We upgrade PHP apps for businesses across the USA and UK, with a signed NDA, a fixed price and updates sent during your own working day.
Is your PHP app still on an old version?
Send us the URL or the repository. We check it for the PHP2Shell flaw and old code for free, and tell you what a 7-day migration looks like.
Get a free migration audit