Global companies and governments rushed to patch critical vulnerabilities in PHP, a programming language widely used to power websites, after the flaws triggered millions of hacking attempts. Discovered using artificial intelligence (AI), the vulnerabilities prompted emergency security measures worldwide, with several governments temporarily shutting down online services while organisations worked to protect their systems. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella described the incident as an unprecedented challenge for cybersecurity teams.
Major Japanese organisations, including Nomura, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, ANA and East Japan Railway, temporarily suspended certain internet services. Japan’s Ministry of Finance and National Tax Agency also restricted online services as a precaution. French telecoms group Orange suspended access to some PHP-based websites, while Finland temporarily shut down government public web services before beginning a gradual restoration. Cloudflare reported a sharp escalation in attempted exploits, rising from thousands before public disclosure to millions afterwards.
Governments across Asia intensified cybersecurity inspections, with China urging users to upgrade PHP versions and South Korea raising its private-sector cybersecurity alert level. Experts warned that updating complex IT systems could take days or weeks, particularly for organisations using outdated software without available security patches. Although some precautionary shutdowns were not linked to confirmed breaches, the incident highlighted the vulnerability of critical digital infrastructure and the growing role of AI in identifying software weaknesses and potentially accelerating cyberattacks.
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