Government websites go dark after AI-discovered flaw sparks security scramble
Oct 21 (Reuters) - Government websites in Europe and elsewhere went offline on Wednesday after the disclosure of critical vulnerabilities in a widely used programming language sent website operators around the world scrambling to protect their systems.
On October 21, government websites in Europe and other regions experienced a temporary outage due to the disclosure of critical vulnerabilities in the widely used PHP programming language. The flaw, discovered using AI, prompted website operators worldwide to scramble for protection. PHP, initially standing for Personal Home Page, underpins many public-facing sites, including those built with WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and Magento.
The flaw had been lurking in the software for years before its discovery. With the fix now public and AI tools enabling easy reverse engineering, experts fear a wave of intrusions as hackers attempt to exploit the vulnerabilities ahead of the updates. Artificial intelligence was instrumental in the discovery and exploitation of the flaws, according to cybersecurity firms Calif and Wiz, which both independently identified the vulnerabilities.
The Dutch cybersecurity agency also went offline as a precautionary measure. Notable organizations, such as the Dutch prime minister's office, Wikipedia, and the Internet Archive, also took steps to mitigate the impact of the issue.
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