tech
Hacking attempts surge as websites race to patch PHP issues
A critical security flaw in PHP, the programming language behind more than two-thirds of websites, has triggered millions of hacking attempts within hours of its public disclosure. Cloudflare reports that exploit attempts jumped from thousands before the announcement to millions shortly after the vulnerabilities were revealed. The flaws were uncovered using artificial intelligence and had reportedly lurked in the software for years before developers released an urgent fix. Governments from Australia to China and South Korea have issued emergency warnings, with some agencies taking banking, airline, rail and tax websites offline as a precaution. For everyday users, the immediate risk is that personal data held by affected sites could be exposed if operators fail to patch quickly. Microsoft’s chief executive called the incident unprecedented in recent memory, while global cybersecurity agencies urge all website administrators to update PHP immediately and reset passwords where necessary.
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Hacking attempts surge as websites race to patch PHP issues
A critical security flaw in PHP, the programming language behind more than two-thirds of websites, has triggered millions of hacking attempts within hours of its public disclosure. Cloudflare reports that exploit attempts jumped from thousands before the announcement to millions shortly after the vulnerabilities were revealed. The flaws were uncovered using artificial intelligence and had reportedly lurked in the software for years before developers released an urgent fix. Governments from Australia to China and South Korea have issued emergency warnings, with some agencies taking banking, airline, rail and tax websites offline as a precaution. For everyday users, the immediate risk is that personal data held by affected sites could be exposed if operators fail to patch quickly. Microsoft’s chief executive called the incident unprecedented in recent memory, while global cybersecurity agencies urge all website administrators to update PHP immediately and reset passwords where necessary.