A critical flaw in PHP, a programming language used by about 70 per cent of the world's websites, has disrupted Australian government and corporate networks. The Australian Signals Directorate, the nation's lead cyber defence agency, was among those affected on Wednesday. The flaw was first uncovered by an OpenAI tool, and threat actors are believed to be exploiting it worldwide. Patches are now available for two PHP vulnerabilities. Industry and Innovation Minister Tim Ayres said no Australian Government websites had been breached. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor called for access to frontier AI models for cyber defence.
Australians may face more data breaches after critical flaws in PHP, a web software used by most websites, were disclosed. The PHP Foundation urged all users to update immediately, as attackers could run their own code on affected servers without logging in. Several major Australian organisations, including GovCMS and Moodle, took sites offline or restricted services as a precaution. Security firm Calif said it found the flaw using OpenAI's AI models, and OpenAI warned that similar tools could also help attackers.
A critical flaw in PHP, the programming language behind more than 70% of websites, has been made public. Left unfixed, it could allow hackers to take over millions of websites and the data on their servers. Several European governments and operators, including the Port of Rotterdam, have taken websites offline. Australia's Signals Directorate and similar bodies in other countries have urged developers to apply urgent updates. Patches have been released, but applying them across millions of systems will take time.
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Australia's Australian Signals Directorate says its website was among several Australian government sites affected by a critical flaw in PHP, a programming language that powers much of the internet. The agency urged organisations and individuals using PHP to review official guidance and apply security patches as they become available. Government websites in Europe and Asia went offline as a precaution after two critical vulnerabilities were disclosed, with reports that hackers were exploiting the flaws. Developers released urgent fixes, and the flaw was discovered using an artificial intelligence tool.
Industry Minister Tim Ayres has said no Australian government websites have been breached after a serious security flaw was discovered in a widely used programming language. The live coverage follows the day's developments on the issue.
Australia's Signals Directorate reported outages on government websites, including cyber.gov.au, linked to a critical PHP software issue. Developers of PHP have identified two critical vulnerabilities and urged website operators to install an update. Government agencies in the Netherlands and Finland took sites offline as a precaution. Security experts warned the flaws could affect millions of servers, because PHP runs roughly 75 per cent of websites whose programming language can be identified. Attacks are emerging, and PHP users have been urged to apply patches as soon as they are released.
