OpenAI · Calif · Amazon · Fortune Technology
How an OpenAI model exposed a flaw in 70% of the internet’s websites
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Governments and organizations around the world began scrambling on Oct. 21, 2026, to fix a vulnerability in software that runs their websites, a bug that could give hackers access to data and control of websites.
Key facts
- Governments and organizations around the world began scrambling on Oct
- Doug Jacobson, University Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa State University
- Estimates suggest that around 70% of websites run on PHP
- The PHP vulnerability has existed in the core PHP code for over a decade, and AI helped researchers find it
Summary
A researcher at Calif, a security research firm, found the flaw in August 2026 using an advanced artificial intelligence model from OpenAI. The vulnerability has implications far beyond a single company or platform, because PHP is a key piece of software that helps run millions of websites. PHP is a programming language that powers most websites. PHP operates on a web server in two main parts: the core PHP system, the engine and runtime libraries, and the individual PHP scripts, which are the custom programs that implement a website.