Websites go dark worldwide as AI exposes critical security flaws
WASHINGTON — Government agencies and companies around the world shut down websites Wednesday after two critical flaws came to light involving PHP, a programming language that is the basis for a large share of the internet. The U.S. National Security Agency told organizations to patch immediately or pull vulnerable systems offline. The flaws "often provide a direct path to the server's file system…
On Wednesday, websites worldwide went dark as two critical security flaws were exposed in PHP, a programming language that forms the backbone of a significant portion of the internet. The U.S. National Security Agency instructed organizations to patch the vulnerabilities immediately or remove the affected systems from service. The NSA warned that the flaws often provide attackers with direct access to a server's file system or database, allowing them to take over web servers without a password.
PHP underpins numerous popular web design platforms, meaning the weaknesses could impact a vast array of online entities, from e-commerce sites and news publications to government services.
The discovery of these flaws coincided with a surge in software security disclosures, driven by the growing capabilities of AI models. Experts anticipate that the number of vulnerabilities found in 2026 will likely double the record total set in the previous year. In response to the crisis, PHP volunteers released a fix on Wednesday.
The PHP Foundation, which supports the development of the language, emphasized the urgency of updating systems in a blog post. Organizers stressed that if you run PHP, it is imperative that you update now to mitigate the risks posed by these critical security flaws.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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