California · OpenAI · DOJ · United Kingdom · Japan · NBC News Tech
Critical flaws in commonly applied web code spark rush to update systems
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Crucial vulnerabilities in a programming language that underpins much of the internet are so severe that U.S., European and British authorities have recommended that websites temporarily go offline until they can be fixed.
Key facts
- PHP is used in 69% of all websites, according to W3Techs, which surveys the software behind how the internet works
- As of Wednesday, nearly 55 million web properties were running PHP, according to Censys, a company that specializes in scanning internet infrastructure
- CERT-EU, the European Union’s technical cybersecurity advisory body, said, “Organisations should consider isolating internet-facing applications from public networks until a fix is available
- Right now, folks are boiling the ocean trying to figure out the how to move from ‘All PHP is vulnerable,’” he told NBC News
Summary
The flaws are in PHP, a little-known but crucial programming language that powers how web servers process code. But several websites were temporarily down Wednesday morning, citing fear that hackers could take them over. Two massive but largely unmoderated forum sites, 4Chan and Something Awful, both went offline to wait for a patch. Japanese websites were also voluntarily offline, including systems for daycare centers and video games, the Japanese tech news site ITmedia reported.