# PHP: The three letters that shut down sites all over the internet today

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/php-the-three-letters-that-shut-down-sites-all-over-the-internet-today/
- Published: 2026-10-21T20:36:56+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-21T21:56:49+00:00
- Original publisher: The Verge
- Original article: https://www.theverge.com/tech/1015906/php2shell-vulnerability-october-2026
- Topics: AI, Art, Business, Culture, Markets, Technology

## Key points

- Two critical PHP flaws may allow unauthorised control of servers.
- AI-assisted research helped uncover bugs that had existed for decades.
- Organisations took sites offline or assessed updates and exposure.

## Summary

Two critical flaws in PHP, a programming language used by much of the web, prompted organisations and services to take sites offline while they assessed the risk. The bugs could let attackers run code on vulnerable servers without logging in, potentially exposing sensitive data or allowing further attacks.

The flaws had existed for roughly 20 years, but AI-assisted research made them easier to identify and exploit. PHP is used by 69.3 per cent of websites with a known server-side language, and the PHP Group says sites running it are at risk. Dutch and Finnish government agencies, Wikipedia, 4chan, DeviantArt and Pokémon services were among those affected or taken offline as a precaution; Cloudflare reported early attacks.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.