Councils, NHS boards and Met Police take websites offline after a critical flaw is found in software powering much of the internet
By Wednesday evening at least seven of Scotland's 32 councils and six of its 14 health boards had pulled their websites. The flaws in PHP, the programming language behind countless sites, went undetected for years until AI-assisted analysis exposed them. Emergency fixes landed on Wednesday after details leaked early. The States of Guernsey also took its government and revenue portals down.
Researchers at Calif and Wiz found the bugs through OpenAI's 'Patch the Planet' initiative.
The National Cyber Security Centre warned attackers could seize servers without even logging in.
The Traitors website and Finland's government web services were also knocked offline.
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BBC News - ScotlandCouncils and NHS boards take websites offline after security alertBBC News - TechStates of Guernsey websites taken offline over hacking concernsmashable.comPHP vulnerability update: PHP issues today explainedLBCWebsites taken offline as ‘critical’ security flaw hits Met Police, Traitors and government sitesUPI'Severe' vulnerability in common website code triggers global alarmtecherati.comCritical PHP flaws prompt government website shutdowns - Techeratibloomberg.comGovernments Take Websites Offline After PHP Security Warnings - Bloomberg.combrusselstimes.comMajor websites go offline as critical PHP vulnerability triggers security fears - The Brussels Timessky.comWebsites across Europe taken down to protect systems - as critical software update issued - Sky NewsThe GuardianFlaw in PHP computer language leads to shutdown of websites around worldNY PostMajor websites in US and Europe go dark as operators race to protect systems from hackerslatestly.comMajor Government Websites Offline Over Critical PHP Security Vulnerability
