tech
Race to update services' computer systems after cyber-security flaw found
A newly disclosed security flaw in the widely used programming language PHP has triggered urgent patching across governments and businesses worldwide. UK officials confirmed that 32 government services are fully unavailable and four are partially offline as a precaution while security updates are applied. The flaw could let an unauthenticated attacker remotely run code on vulnerable servers, and PHP underpins roughly 70 percent of the world’s websites. No successful hacks have been confirmed so far, but internet infrastructure firm Cloudflare reported millions of exploitation attempts within hours of the public announcement. For ordinary users, the disruption is already visible in everyday services such as vehicle inspections, where one garage owner said MOT paperwork and certificates could not be printed or logged online. Security experts warn the full impact may take weeks or months to emerge, and they are urging developers to patch systems immediately.
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Race to update services' computer systems after cyber-security flaw found
A newly disclosed security flaw in the widely used programming language PHP has triggered urgent patching across governments and businesses worldwide. UK officials confirmed that 32 government services are fully unavailable and four are partially offline as a precaution while security updates are applied. The flaw could let an unauthenticated attacker remotely run code on vulnerable servers, and PHP underpins roughly 70 percent of the world’s websites. No successful hacks have been confirmed so far, but internet infrastructure firm Cloudflare reported millions of exploitation attempts within hours of the public announcement. For ordinary users, the disruption is already visible in everyday services such as vehicle inspections, where one garage owner said MOT paperwork and certificates could not be printed or logged online. Security experts warn the full impact may take weeks or months to emerge, and they are urging developers to patch systems immediately.