Websites across world hit by millions of attempts to exploit PHP code flaw
Source: The Guardian ·
Problem in PHP language that underpins 70% of websites has led governments and companies to pull sites offline while they patch faultWebsites around the world have been hit by millions of attempts to exploit a recently discovered vulnerability in their code, cybersecurity companies have said, as the US National Security Agency warned the flaw could allow attackers to take control of web servers,…
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Websites around the world have been hit by millions of attempts to exploit a recently discovered vulnerability in their code, cybersecurity companies have said, as the US National Security Agency warned the flaw could allow attackers to take control of web servers, steal data and disrupt services. The problem in the PHP programming language, which underpins about 70% of the world’s websites, emerged on Wednesday causing governments and companies to pull their websites off the internet before they could be attacked and so they could patch the fault. The website for the BBC’s Traitors was one of those that was down on Thursday. It sparked particular concern about the ongoing vulnerability of systems used by schools, local governments and charities, which may not have dedicated cybersecurity support to execute the fix. Ciaran Martin, the former chief executive of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, described the flaw as “very bad”, saying that while most internet software…