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.

Can I create my own custom fields?

Yes, it is possible to create your own custom fields.

Using Admin > Edit Pupils > Custom Fields, clicking on +Add.  A row will appear at the bottom, simply type a name for your new custom field in the row.

NOTE; make sure that the name is unique across all fields as duplicate names will cause errors in your system.

Data can be added to these fields manually in the Admin > Edit Pupils > Pupil page by typing in the relevant cell.

Alternatively, you can easily import custom field data in bulk by adding to your assessment grade spreadsheet or creating a new spreadsheet adding columns for Forename, Surname, Gender and UPN, followed by the custom field and any other information you require.

In the 3rd step of the import, Map Data, set the Column Type to Custom and you will see a second dropdown appear that will let you choose your custom field name.