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PHP Is Still Everywhere in 2026

People love to say "PHP is dead." In 2026, that is simply not what the internet looks like.

In real pentest work, especially when scanning broad asset inventories or testing customer-facing web apps, PHP is still one of the most common server-side stacks you will encounter. And because it powers huge plugin-driven ecosystems, it often comes with a wide attack surface.

How big is PHP in 2026?

Depending on how you measure, PHP remains dominant on the public web:

  • ~72% of websites with a known server-side language use PHP (W3Techs, checked Feb 17, 2026)
  • Version split among PHP sites (W3Techs, checked Feb 17, 2026): PHP 8 ~56.5%, PHP 7 ~34.4%, PHP 5 ~9.0%

Even if PHP 5 is a minority, it still represents a large amount of real-world targets.

Where PHP shows up most in 2026

1) WordPress and the plugin economy

  • WordPress powers ~42.6% of all websites (W3Techs, checked Feb 17, 2026)
  • WooCommerce powers ~8.6% of all websites (W3Techs, checked Feb 17, 2026)

For pentesters, risk is usually in third-party plugins/themes, permission complexity, and update hygiene, not just in the core platform.

2) E-commerce platforms (Magento / Adobe Commerce)

Share may be smaller than WordPress, but targets are often high-value due to payment flows, customer data, and operational integrations.

3) Traditional CMS in enterprise environments (e.g., Drupal)

Long-lived deployments and complex role systems can lead to permission drift, legacy modules, and persistent misconfiguration.

4) Custom backends built on PHP frameworks

Laravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter, and Yii still power many internal portals and business-critical apps.

Why pentesting PHP systems is still essential in 2026

Version lifecycle creates patch gaps: EOL versions stop receiving security fixes and amplify risk across frameworks and dependencies.

Plugin-driven ecosystems expand attack surface: dozens of components can introduce weak routes, file handlers, APIs, and privilege checks.

Misconfiguration remains common: exposed environment files, debug mode, backups in web root, directory listing, and sensitive logs are recurring root causes.

A modern pentest checklist for PHP websites (2026)

Only test systems you are explicitly authorized to test.

  1. Fingerprinting and inventory across stack, versions, and external components
  2. Authentication and session security checks
  3. Authorization and business logic validation
  4. Input handling tests across risky endpoints
  5. File upload and media processing controls
  6. Dependency and supply chain review
  7. Configuration and operational exposure checks

The bottom line

PHP did not disappear. It became more ecosystem-driven. In 2026, effective pentesting is about mapping components, tracking lifecycle risk, auditing dependencies, validating authorization, and catching operational exposure.

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