{
  "id": 15991707,
  "title": "Megabank's services, JR websites affected as patching of PHP flaws underway",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/megabanks-services-jr-websites-affected-as-patching-of-php-flaws",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-22T03:20:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261022/p2g/00m/0na/019000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Thursday, MUFG Bank and JR West, major Japanese companies, initiated emergency system maintenance to address recently discovered security flaws in the widely-utilized PHP programming language. The bank warned that some of its services, including the online opening of investment trust accounts, would be temporarily unavailable. JR West reported that approximately 60 of its group websites had been suspended.\n\nThe vulnerabilities were identified with the help of artificial intelligence, and the issue was brought to light on Wednesday. Governments and businesses worldwide responded by halting websites out of fear that the flaws could be exploited for cyberattacks. According to a European research organization, PHP, which is primarily designed for server-side programming, is used by 69.3% of websites whose server-side language is known.\n\nThe PHP developer disclosed the discovery of two major vulnerabilities early on Wednesday. Patches were subsequently released to resolve the issues, marking a significant effort to secure the affected systems and websites.",
  "summary": "TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Moves to address vulnerabilities found in the widely used PHP programming language continued Thursday, with MUFG Bank and JR West ann",
  "key_points": [
    "MUFG Bank and JR West conduct emergency maintenance due to PHP vulnerabilities",
    "Approximately 60 JR West websites suspended as a precaution",
    "PHP used by 69.3% of known server-side websites"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The rapid deployment of emergency patches across major Japanese infrastructure highlights how vulnerabilities in widely used programming languages force critical service providers to prioritize immediate security over continuous digital availability.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Mainichi",
        "title": "Japan gov't sites partially suspended as patching of PHP flaws underway",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/japan-govt-sites-partially-suspended-as-patching-of-php-flaws-underway",
        "published": "2026-10-22T05:37:08.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Australian govt websites affected by PHP vulnerability",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/australian-govt-websites-affected-by-php-vulnerability",
        "published": "2026-10-22T05:52:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}