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CNN·4 min read·hard

Websites shut down globally after AI finds cybersecurity flaw affecting 70% of the internet - CNN

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Lisa Eadicicco, Hanna Ziady
Websites shut down globally after AI finds cybersecurity flaw affecting 70% of the internet - CNN
✦AI Summary

A critical vulnerability in the PHP programming language, discovered through AI-assisted research, has forced global websites to scramble for patches. The flaw, which has existed for a decade, affects 70% of the internet and poses significant security risks for e-commerce and data-sensitive platforms.

Why it matters

This event marks a significant inflection point where AI is used to both discover and potentially exploit deep-seated cybersecurity vulnerabilities at scale.

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Governments and companies around the world are racing to fix vulnerabilities revealed by artificial intelligence that could affect 70% of the world’s websites. Some websites and services briefly went dark after the set of vulnerabilities were announced Wednesday. The US National Security Agency and Europe’s cybersecurity agency advised companies to take immediate action to address two critical flaws in PHP, a programming language that powers 70% of the world’s websites. The flaws in PHP were uncovered and addressed by teams at OpenAI, Google-owned cybersecurity company Wiz, and another cybersecurity company, Calif. The underlying flaws had existed for a decade, but exploiting them involved a complex set of steps “at the edge of what human researchers could practically achieve,” according to Wiz. Researchers then deployed AI to adapt techniques for taking advantage of those vulnerabilities – known as as “exploits” in cybersecurity – and analyze the results.

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Headlinne story · 7 newsrooms

Global Websites Go Dark After AI Uncovers Critical Programming Language Flaws

What every outlet reported, where they differ, and how each framed it →

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