{"id":94,"date":"2026-10-22T18:39:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T18:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wouldnews.com\/?p=94"},"modified":"2026-10-22T18:39:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T18:39:53","slug":"what-is-php-and-how-could-a-flaw-in-it-give-hackers-direct-access-to-databases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wouldnews.com\/?p=94","title":{"rendered":"What is PHP and how could a flaw in it give hackers ‘direct’ access to databases?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For more than a decade, the technology that underpins<\/strong> much of the internet has operated without anyone noticing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now, after artificial intelligence identified the flaws, a global cybersecurity emergency alert has been issued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vulnerabilities were found in a programming<\/a> language called PHP, which has been used to build websites around the world since the 2000s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Since the flaws were revealed on Wednesday, governments and cybersecurity agencies around the world have been scrambling to contain the potential impact, urging website operators to either install security updates immediately or temporarily take their sites offline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These vulnerabilities were detected by cybersecurity company Wiz using<\/a> artificial intelligence and they have described them as the \u201cmost serious\u201d flaws discovered so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artificial intelligence firm OpenAI’s technology was used to discover the flaws, which the company says have been described as “one of the most impactful cybersecurity issues in recent years.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the error encountered in PHP?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Many people may not have heard of PHP, but they most likely use websites and services powered by it every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PHP’s full name is PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor. It is a programming language that plays a fundamental role in running numerous platforms, including online shopping websites, Wikipedia, and websites like WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress is the content management system that powers millions of blogs and news websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul Spain, chief executive of Guerrilla Cybersecurity, told the Would News that when you visit a website like Wikipedia, PHP is the code that collects the information you need and presents it to you in a readable form on the web.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, a flaw has now emerged in PHP that could allow cyber attackers to take control of affected web servers without any authentication and steal sensitive information. As a result, all services and websites built on PHP are at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Paul Spain, artificial intelligence could make such attacks easier and faster, and he estimates that this flaw could affect \u201chundreds, if not millions, of websites.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Jill Slay, a cybersecurity researcher at the University of Adelaide, if hackers or states were to weaponize this flaw to extract private information from websites, the consequences could be \u201ccatastrophic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which websites were affected?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The security alert has affected various online services globally, including gaming platforms, government portals and online forums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the affected organizations is Wikimedia, the online encyclopedia custodian. As a precautionary measure, Wikimedia has temporarily shut down several of its systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the Finnish government, the Council of Edinburgh and the Paul Spain, chief executive of Guerrilla Cybersecurity, told the Would News that when you visit a website like Wikipedia, PHP is the code that collects the information you need and presents it to you in a readable form on the we<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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have temporarily taken some of their websites and pages offline, while the Netherlands’ cybersecurity agency has also taken its website down as a precaution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several Scottish government agencies, including local councils and health agencies, have also temporarily taken their websites offline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some experts have warned that the vulnerability could put poorly maintained websites at greater risk, particularly those of smaller organisations that lack adequate cybersecurity resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salil Kanhere, a cybersecurity researcher at the University of New South Wales Sydney, said more attempts to exploit the flaws were likely in the coming weeks as their technical details were now being made public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happened after the flaws were revealed?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, PHP developers released security updates, known as patches, to fix the flaws. The flaws have been in the software for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company said that \u201call PHP users are advised to update immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Government and cybersecurity organizations around the world have issued similar warnings to website operators to secure their services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US National Security Agency (NSA) has instructed all organizations using PHP to temporarily shut down their systems if they cannot install security updates immediately. The agency warned that the flaw could provide a \u201cdirect route\u201d to accessing a system\u2019s database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NSA says that \u201cthese threats are so serious that it is necessary to install updates immediately in US government departments and agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UK\u2019s National Cyber \u200b\u200bSecurity Centre also gave similar advice and asked institutions to check whether hackers have installed a \u201cbackdoor\u201d in their systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relevant cybersecurity agencies in the European Union, Singapore and Australia have also issued similar warnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi urged the public and institutions to check whether their publicly accessible websites are running on PHP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“If it is difficult to install security patches immediately, temporary closures of websites and other similar measures may be effective in mitigating risks,” Sanae Takaichi wrote on social media platform X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology companies, on the other hand, are also trying to secure their systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

E-commerce giant Amazon said that several attack attempts were made on HP’s systems several days before the flaws were publicly disclosed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is currently unclear how potential attackers learned of the vulnerability in advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See more : What is PHP and how could a flaw in it give hackers ‘direct’ access to databases?<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is artificial intelligence helping to find flaws?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The vulnerabilities were discovered by researchers at security companies Calf and Wiz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers used advanced artificial intelligence tools that can analyze computer code and identify flaws much faster than humans or older systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cModern software is extremely complex and some vulnerabilities can remain hidden for years,\u201d says Salil Kanhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The underlying flaws were not new, he said, but the real change was that we now have a better ability to find them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Details of the discovery were leaked online this week, prompting PHP developers to issue a hasty announcement about the security flaw and its scope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OpenAI said in a blog post that the incident highlights how \u201cartificial intelligence can uncover security vulnerabilities.\u201d However, the company also said that AI \u201ccan help attackers rapidly develop offensive tools and exploits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What safety measures can people take on their own?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Website owners are being urged to update their websites to the latest version of PHP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Paul Spain, CEO of Guerrilla Cybersecurity, PHP security is a routine and minor update for most technology teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US National Security Agency has advised to be \u201cextraordinarily vigilant\u201d in the coming weeks and to keep a close eye on updates released by software companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency says it is crucial to be vigilant and install patches for these systems in a timely manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Salil Kanhere, the primary responsibility lies with the organizations operating the websites, but users should also keep an eye on security advisories issued by the affected services, for example if they are instructed to change their passwords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also warned that people should be wary of phishing messages that may try to scam users by taking advantage of the publicity and news of the incident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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