UK working to identify exposure after global cyber-security warning
The UK is working to identify potential exposure to two critical cyber-security flaws in the PHP programming language, which powers a significant portion of the internet. The vulnerabilities, discovered by AI, were found in the widely used language and have prompted multiple governments and agencies to urge organisations to take action.
The PHP Foundation issued a fix on Wednesday afternoon, but warned that those using older versions of the language, including PHP 8.1 or older, are at risk. The Finnish government has temporarily shut down its public web services, while the Netherlands' cyber-security agency has also been affected. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is working with organisations to assess the potential impact and identify any affected systems.
The flaws were described by cyber-security firm Wiz as the "most severe vulnerabilities ever discovered" by AI. The PHP Foundation has only issued the update for the latest versions of the language, leaving those using older versions at risk. The NCSC is advising organisations to take steps to mitigate the risks, including applying the fix or taking their sites offline if they are unable to apply the update in time.
