A critical flaw in the PHP programming language has triggered a global scramble to protect websites. Governments, including the UK, and companies such as Amazon are working to identify exposure and apply fixes before hackers exploit the vulnerability.
01Summary
- 01The UK government is working to identify potential exposure in its online services after critical security flaws were found in PHP, which powers a significant number of websites.
- 02Amazon reported multiple attack attempts, including a 'PHP2Shell exploitation attempt' on 17 October that targeted a decoy system; further attacks followed on 21 October after details of the flaw were leaked.
- 03The UK's National Cyber Security Centre urged organisations to apply fixes immediately or take systems offline if remediation is not feasible.
- 04Cyber-security firm Wiz estimates roughly 70% of the internet is affected, though the BBC cannot independently verify this figure.
- 05Several websites, including those for BBC programmes, the Office for Budget Responsibility, and some local councils, went offline as a precaution.
02Why it matters
This vulnerability potentially affects a vast number of websites you use daily, from online shops to Wikipedia. If not patched quickly, attackers could steal sensitive data or disrupt services, and the use of AI means such threats will become faster and more common.
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