Companies and governments are racing to patch critical PHP vulnerabilities as hackers exploit the flaws. The widely used programming language contains two serious security issues that could allow unauthorized access without login credentials. Discovered with AI assistance after going undetected for over a decade, the vulnerabilities have prompted urgent warnings from cybersecurity agencies worldwide.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi issued an urgent public warning, urging companies to install fixes immediately and consider suspending services if necessary. Cybersecurity bodies across Asia, including in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, have also issued advisories. The Australian Signals Directorate warned businesses to update patches, though some government sites became unavailable.
Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud urged clients to upgrade to the latest PHP version. Wikipedia took supporting services offline for patching. Japanese companies, including ANA, Nomura, and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial, suspended non-core services.
Asahi Group and Keihan Holdings also halted operations. Gaming firms Sega and Bandai Namco conducted emergency maintenance. Japan has declared a 'state of emergency in cyber space' following recent attacks.
Cybersecurity adviser Toshio Nawa criticized the overreaction, calling it 'decision-making paralysed by the fear of blame.'.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing