Websites go dark worldwide after critical PHP security flaws emerge

Government agencies and companies took websites offline on Wednesday after two critical flaws were disclosed in PHP, a language used across much of the internet. The NSA urged organizations to patch immediately or disconnect vulnerable systems, warning that attackers could take over servers without a password. Calif and OpenAI independently reported the flaws in August, and Wiz later identified additional exploitation methods; details leaked online Tuesday before PHP developers released a fix Wednesday. Public websites and services in France, the Netherlands and Belgium were taken offline as a precaution.