What is PHP, and how did a flaw in its code lead several websites to go dark this week?
A critical vulnerability in the widely used PHP programming language has forced many websites, including Canadian government portals, to go offline for security patches. The flaw potentially allowed unauthorized access and data harvesting, highlighting the risks associated with foundational web infrastructure.
Why it matters
Since PHP powers approximately 70-75% of the internet, vulnerabilities in this language pose a massive systemic risk to global digital security.
The problem resided in part of the PHP coding language — a commonly used software that's "the backbone of the internet," according to Isaac Privett, a senior penetration tester at Toronto-based cybersecurity firm Packetlabs.
And the vulnerability had been there for years, potentially allowing bad actors to access sites, make changes to them and harvest data.
Canadian government sites among those offline after flaw identified in widely used computer language
The issue prompted many to take their websites offline while they implemented a fix, causing some websites — including government ones in Canada — to go dark.
Here's what you need to know about the PHP language, how it came to light and how serious the vulnerability is.
Headlinne story · 7 newsrooms
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