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Some UK government services may be down temporarily, says No 10, due to global cyber-security issue
A critical flaw in PHP, the programming language that powers a huge share of the internet, has triggered emergency shutdowns and urgent patching across governments and major companies worldwide.
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Some UK government services may be down temporarily, says No 10, due to global cyber-security issue
A critical flaw in PHP, the programming language that powers a huge share of the internet, has triggered emergency shutdowns and urgent patching across governments and major companies worldwide. Cyber-security firm Wiz estimates roughly 70 percent of the internet is affected, potentially exposing around 30 million websites to attackers who could steal data or plant backdoors. The UK government says some public services may be temporarily offline while teams check for exposure, and the Office for Budget Responsibility took its site down as a precaution, though ministers say Budget security was not breached. Several Scottish council and health board websites also went offline, while Amazon and Cloudflare report millions of automated hacking attempts already scanning for vulnerable systems. The US National Security Agency warns affected organisations should take systems offline until fixes are applied. For ordinary users, the main impact is interrupted access to some websites and a heightened risk to personal data on unpatched platforms, not a direct cost to their wallets.
UK antitrust regulator wants Apple to open up iPhone NFC access
Britain’s competition regulator is proposing to force Apple to open up the iPhone’s contactless payment chip to rival wallet apps, arguing that current fees and rules are blocking UK fintech firms from innovating and growing. The Competition and Markets Authority says 39 percent of all UK payments are now contactless, with Apple Wallet the most popular choice, yet not a single firm has launched a competing wallet product in the country. The regulator wants Apple to allow access to the main international contactless standards and to make its terms commercially viable, with charges expected to be substantially lower than today’s fees. It also says the technology raises no inherent security concerns, directly pushing back on Apple’s privacy and security objections. The proposal follows a 2024 European Union agreement that opened tap-and-go access to developers and spared Apple a fine of up to ten percent of its global annual turnover. For ordinary users, the change could mean more wallet and banking apps on iPhones and potentially lower costs passed on by payment providers. The consultation closes on November 17, 2026, with a final decision due after responses are assessed.