The recent discovery of two critical security vulnerabilities in PHP highlighted just how quickly a technical issue can affect businesses and their online operations. With PHP powering a significant portion of the internet, the disclosure prompted urgent action from developers, hosting providers and organisations worldwide.
At Laser Red, our response went beyond addressing the technical issue. While protecting the websites we manage was our immediate priority, we also considered how the situation could affect our clients’ businesses, from wasted advertising spend to uncertainty about their websites and online services.
What Happened with the Recent PHP Security Issue?
PHP is a widely used programming language that powers many websites and web applications, including WordPress. It plays an important role in delivering dynamic content and supporting the functionality of websites across the internet.
The recent disclosure of the two critical PHP security vulnerabilities raised concerns about the potential for attackers to exploit affected systems. Depending on the circumstances, successful exploitation could allow unauthorised access to sensitive information or enable attackers to execute malicious code.
For businesses, this presents risks beyond the website itself. A compromised website or server could expose business or customer data, disrupt online services and damage customer confidence.
The situation required a prompt response from organisations using affected versions of PHP. However, responding effectively meant considering more than applying a security update. Businesses also needed to understand the risks, make informed decisions and manage the potential consequences of temporary disruption.
How Laser Red Responded to the PHP Vulnerabilities
When the vulnerabilities were disclosed, our priority was to protect our clients while minimising the impact on their businesses.
We took precautionary action by temporarily taking affected websites offline while awaiting the security fix. This decision prioritised reducing potential security risks over uninterrupted availability.
However, we also recognised that taking a website offline could have wider consequences. Our response involved the whole agency, with different teams from marketing to development working together to address the technical issue, communicate with clients and reduce disruption wherever possible.
Prioritising Website Security
Our first step was to reduce the potential exposure of the websites we manage. Following relevant security guidance, we temporarily took affected sites offline while the necessary security fix was being prepared.
We understand that website availability is important to our clients, but leaving potentially vulnerable systems exposed could present a greater risk.
As soon as the patch became available, our priority was to apply the necessary updates across our managed servers and restore services safely.
Minimising the Wider Business Impact
Taking a website offline can affect more than its availability. For businesses investing in digital marketing, it can also mean paying for advertising that directs potential customers to a website they cannot access.
Recognising this, our marketing team took action to pause Google Ads campaigns for clients whose websites had been taken offline.
This helped prevent advertising budgets from being wasted on clicks that would lead users to unavailable pages while the issue was being resolved.
This was an important part of our wider response: addressing the security risk while also considering the financial implications for our clients.
“Our first priority was protecting our clients’ accounts.
As soon as sites were down, we paused all ads across every affected client. Leaving them live would have meant paying for clicks that led nowhere. It would also have risked Google flagging the ads for broken links, which can affect account performance long after a site is restored.
Our clients’ success is our success, so every minute of downtime mattered to us. We monitored each site throughout the afternoon and reactivated its ads the moment it came back online. Our clients were back up and running as quickly as possible, with their budgets and accounts fully protected.” – Shannon Kenneth, Paid Media Executive
Keeping Clients Informed and Involved
We know that unexpected website downtime can cause uncertainty, particularly when it results from a serious security issue.
Throughout the response, we made a point of keeping clients informed about what was happening, why precautionary action had been taken and how we were working to resolve the situation.
This involved sending out mass messages and making ourselves available by phone. Our team took calls, responded to voicemails and helped clients understand the situation and the steps being taken.
We also recognised that every client has different priorities and business requirements. Where decisions affected their websites and operations, we took their wishes into account and discussed the available options with them.
Our aim was to provide clear information and reassurance while ensuring clients had the opportunity to raise concerns and discuss their individual circumstances.
“Making sure our clients knew what was happening quickly was paramount. We have mass messaging software in place ready to go for use in crisis management situations like this, so I was able to get clear, simple guidance out to every client quickly and effectively and keep them informed throughout the course of the day and evening, leaving our technical teams to focus on getting the actual patch in place” – Sandii Raithby, HR Manager
Working Together as One Team
Responding to an issue of this scale required close internal communication and collaboration across the agency.
Our development team focused on mitigating the security risks and applying the necessary updates, while our marketing team considered the implications for advertising campaigns. Client-facing team members helped manage communications, answer questions and keep clients updated.
By sharing information and coordinating our actions, we could look beyond the immediate technical problem and consider how to minimise its wider impact.
The experience has reinforced the importance of reviewing our processes, learning from emerging threats and continually improving how we respond to unexpected challenges.
“It was an unprecedented day for the community, but the whole team went above and beyond to resolve it. We expect this to be the first of many, so we’re actively reviewing how we can do even better next time.” – Alex Wass, Development Team Leader
Why Choosing the Right Digital Agency Matters
The PHP vulnerabilities are a reminder that managing a website involves much more than keeping it online. When an issue arises, the quality of the response can influence not only website security but also a business’s finances, operations and customer relationships.
Looking Beyond the Technical Issue
A capable digital agency should understand how its work connects to the wider needs of a business.
This means considering the consequences of technical decisions, identifying potential knock-on effects and taking practical steps to minimise disruption. In this case, that included addressing advertising spend and ensuring clients understood what was happening.
Communication and Collaboration
When unexpected problems occur, clients need timely information and access to people who can answer their questions.
An agency should be able to explain technical issues in straightforward language, communicate the action being taken and involve clients in decisions that affect their businesses.
Strong internal collaboration matters too. When technical, marketing and client-facing teams work together, they can respond more effectively to challenges that cross departments.
A Proactive, Client-Focused Approach
No agency can prevent every vulnerability or guarantee that a website will never experience a security issue. What matters is how potential risks are assessed, how quickly appropriate action is taken and whether the wider impact on clients is considered.
Choosing an agency that combines technical expertise with clear communication and a genuine understanding of your business can make a significant difference when unexpected issues arise.
Protecting Your Website and Your Business
The recent PHP security vulnerabilities demonstrated how a technical issue can quickly affect multiple aspects of a business’s online operations.
At Laser Red, our response involved more than applying security updates. We took precautionary action to protect the websites we manage, paused advertising where websites were unavailable, kept clients informed and worked together across the agency to minimise disruption.
We believe effective digital support means looking at the bigger picture: protecting your website while considering the people, budgets and business operations that depend on it.
If you have questions about your website security, hosting arrangements or how your current provider responds to emerging threats, our team is here to help.
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