{
  "id": 15989422,
  "title": "Websites taken down worldwide as critical cyber-security update issued",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/websites-taken-down-worldwide-as-critical-cyber-security-update-issued",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-22T01:55:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Island Sri Lanka",
    "slug": "the-island-sri-lanka",
    "url": "http://island.lk/websites-taken-down-worldwide-as-critical-cyber-security-update-issued/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Critical cyber-security flaws in the PHP programming language, which powers a significant portion of the internet, have led to multiple websites being taken down worldwide. These vulnerabilities, discovered by AI researchers at firms Calif and Wiz, were deemed the \"most severe vulnerabilities ever discovered\" by the tech industry. The flaws had been undetected for over a decade, despite the PHP Foundation intending to release its discovery with a complete fix. However, details of the flaw were leaked on social media, forcing PHP Foundation to act quickly. Multiple cyber-security agencies, including the US National Security Agency, the Finnish government, and the EU, have advised organizations unable to apply fixes to consider taking their sites offline. The vulnerabilities allow hackers to gain remote code execution, potentially installing malware and taking down websites. While it is estimated that roughly 70% of the internet is affected, affected versions of PHP range from PHP 5 onwards. Organizations using PHP are urged to apply the fixes as soon as possible and continuously monitor for security updates.",
  "summary": "International governments and agencies have urged websites to address two critical cyber-security flaws in a programming language which powers much of the internet. The vulnerabilities were found within the PHP programming language, with a fix issued on Wednesday afternoon. Multiple cyber-security agencies have urged organisations unable to apply fixes in time to consider taking their […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}