The backbone of the internet is broken: why the attack on PHP is crippling half the web

A critical security vulnerability in the programming language PHP has caused widespread outages across the internet, affecting approximately 70 percent of websites that rely on this infrastructure. Organizations ranging from government bodies like the Dutch Data Protection Authority to numerous news sites and DigiD services have temporarily taken their platforms offline to protect against potential exploitation. Cybersecurity experts describe the situation as exceptionally severe, noting that such significant flaws in PHP are rare.

Website administrators have been urgently advised to install a security update released by PHP maintainers to patch the vulnerabilities. Experts warn that criminals are likely to scan the internet for unpatched servers, turning the situation into a race against time. While large organizations have been quick to act, there is growing concern that individual hobbyists and smaller sites running older, outdated versions of the language may remain vulnerable. Users are encouraged to keep their servers offline until the necessary patches are applied to prevent unauthorized access by malicious actors.