Add as a preferred source on GooglePHP Patches Two Security Flaws After Dutch, Finnish Agencies Shut Sites
The shutdowns came before the patched software was available, with affected Dutch sites spanning government, politics, health care and port infrastructure.
PHP released fixes Wednesday for two serious security flaws after agencies in the Netherlands and Finland took some websites offline, highlighting the vulnerability of widely used web infrastructure.
The PHP development team disclosed the flaws Tuesday and urged users to install updates once fixes were ready. The updated software became available Wednesday, one day later.
Sites taken offline in the Netherlands included Rotterdam Port, government portal Overheid.nl, the Dutch football association, pages for five major political parties and several hospitals. Finnish government institutions also temporarily disabled some sites before the patched version became available. The closures were preventive measures.
PHP is used by about 75% of websites where the programming language can be identified. It also supports platforms including WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and Magento. WordPress alone runs about 43% of websites worldwide, from blogs and small-business pages to government portals, online stores and news sites. That reach means a flaw in PHP can affect site operators well beyond government agencies.
Simon Yoon
ReporterSimon Yoon reports on blockchain technology for TokenPost. Send corrections or tips to info@tokenpost.com.