PHP: The three little letters wreaking havoc across the web
A critical vulnerability affecting PHP, a programming language used by 70 percent of websites, has caused widespread disruption across the internet. Because the flaw exists in legacy versions, many older sites face the risk of permanent shutdown.
Why it matters
The ubiquity of PHP means that a single security flaw can threaten the stability and security of a massive portion of the global web infrastructure.
Two vulnerabilities found in the programming language PHP put enormous swaths of the internet in danger . By some accounts, up to 70 percent of websites use PHP in some capacity. It powers Wikipedia, WordPress, Drupal, and a host of other popular sites and platforms, including DeviantArt and 4Chan, which were temporarily shut down after the vulnerabilities were disclosed. Even governments weren’t immune. But it’s not as simple as updating a few servers. The vulnerability exists in every version of PHP dating back roughly 20 years, many of which are no longer supported.
Headlinne story · 7 newsrooms
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