(LEAD) S. Korea raises cybersecurity alert level as PHP flaw sparks global security concerns

Seoul, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's science ministry elevated the country's cyber crisis alert level to caution on Thursday, as it joined global efforts to tackle two significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities in PHP, a programming language that drives the majority of the internet. The ministry issued the warning at noon, urging companies and government agencies to promptly update their systems to prevent potential attacks.

The PHP flaw, which is already publicly accessible, could impact numerous websites and demands urgent action. Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon stated that the vulnerabilities, discovered using artificial intelligence (AI), are among the most severe ever detected by AI.

PHP, short for Hypertext Preprocessor, powers many online platforms, including e-commerce sites, Wikipedia, and WordPress, a popular content management system for websites such as blogs. The flaw, identified on Wednesday, could enable unauthorized control of affected web servers, potentially leading to data leaks, system shutdowns, and website defacements.

The Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) released a security update advisory, and the presidential office's National Security Office (NSO) convened an emergency meeting to coordinate the government's response to PHP-related cyber threats. The meeting assessed the usage of PHP across various sectors and discussed necessary measures, with government officials committing to collaborate on information sharing and response coordination. Public institutions and the military, which rely less on PHP, remained relatively protected.