Millions of attempts to exploit PHP flaws push governments and firms to take websites offline

Websites worldwide have faced millions of attempts to exploit newly found flaws in PHP, the programming language behind about 70% of sites, cybersecurity companies said, prompting governments and businesses to take sites offline to apply fixes. The problem emerged Wednesday. The U.S. National Security Agency warned that the two vulnerabilities, called PHP2Shell, could let attackers run code remotely, take control of web servers, steal data and disrupt services. It advised taking affected systems offline if updates cannot be applied at once. The FBI issued a similar warning. In the UK, cybersecurity minister Liz Lloyd told parliament 32 government services were offline, largely as a precaution. Downing Street said no public-facing critical services were affected. Kenya and the Netherlands were among places racing to patch.

Right-leaning outlets had not reported the story at the time of writing; left-leaning and alternative outlets had. Alternative sources (CNBC, Investing.com) focus on the technical threat and the response by Google, OpenAI and Amazon. Left sources (Guardian, New York Times) emphasize UK outages, official reassurances, and worry for schools, local governments and charities.