Millions of hacking attempts as companies, govts rush to patch PHP flaws

In a global effort to address critical flaws in the widely used PHP programming language, companies and governments raced to patch vulnerabilities and secure their systems. The urgency was heightened after cybersecurity researchers disclosed the flaws using AI, leading to millions of hacking attempts within hours of their public announcement.

Major companies and organizations, such as Nomura, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, ANA, and the East Japan Railway, temporarily suspended internet services to implement precautionary measures. Government agencies, including Japan's finance ministry, meteorological agency, and National Tax Agency, also took action to safeguard public services.

European nations, including France's Orange and Finland's Valtori, suspended access to PHP-based websites and applications. Cloudflare reported a surge in hacking attempts, escalating from thousands to millions of attacks within hours of the vulnerability disclosure. Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince emphasized the race against AI-powered attackers exploiting the flaws.

Asian governments, such as China's industry ministry and South Korea, urged organizations to immediately inspect systems and upgrade to the latest PHP version. They also recommended strengthening cybersecurity monitoring and changing accounts, passwords, and keys. Japan's cybersecurity concerns grew as the country recorded more cyber incidents in the first nine months of the year than all of the previous year, according to TrendAI data.