Security Update – PHP Vulnerability

We are aware of the recent critical PHP security vulnerabilities highlighted by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on 21st October 2026.

We would like to reassure customers that our main platforms, 4Matrix Cloud and 4Matrix Fusion, do not use PHP and are therefore not directly affected by these vulnerabilities.

PHP is used within some of our supporting systems, including our customer support ticketing and billing systems. Our desktop application also communicates with our sales system for licence verification. These systems do not store customers' payment details or sensitive information as part of the licence verification process.

We have been in contact with our hosting provider, Krystal, who has confirmed that the necessary security fixes have been applied to address the reported vulnerabilities.

No action is required from our customers in relation to this advisory.

We take the security of our systems and customer information seriously and will continue to monitor security developments and work with our hosting provider to maintain appropriate protections.

Error: Base 64 String

This error is photo-related and usually implies that an invalid 'string' is stored as the pupils photo in the database. In the series that causes the error, go to Admin > Edit Pupils.

1) Click through each pupil record

2) For any pupils that DO NOT have a photo, go to Actions in the top right and choose Clear Photo

3) Otherwise, if you get an error when clicking on a particular pupil, either with or without a photo, go to Actions > Clear Photo

You may then need to re-import the affected pupils photos. This should resolve the error but please contact us if not.