Hacking attempts rise after flaws found in PHP affecting 70% of websites

Governments worldwide are urgently implementing safety measures after AI technology discovered severe security flaws in PHP, a key programming language that supports about 70 percent of websites, WBAA reported.

Cybersecurity firm Wiz Research, using OpenAI technology, identified the vulnerabilities and described them as among the most severe in PHP and software history, according to whqr.org. The flaws could allow attackers to control affected servers, steal sensitive data, and deface websites.

Countries including the U.K., Japan, France, China, and the U.S. have taken action. The U.K.'s National Cyber Security Center urged immediate updates to patched versions, while the U.S. National Security Agency advised organizations to maintain heightened awareness, whqr.org reported.

Numerous government websites in Britain, Finland, and France were temporarily taken offline to prevent exploitation. Japan's prime minister issued an urgent request for action, including temporarily suspending websites if patches cannot be applied promptly, whqr.org added.

Before public disclosure, teams worked on solutions now available to protect websites, according to whqr.org. The global response highlights the critical role of PHP, often called the backbone of the web, in internet infrastructure.

Authorities continue to monitor the situation as organizations worldwide update their systems to prevent further hacking attempts, WBAA and whqr.org reported.