PHP Releases Security Fixes After Government Websites Go Offline

Two serious PHP flaws led government agencies in the Netherlands and Finland to take some websites offline, as the language’s maintainers released corrected versions Wednesday. The temporary closures came before the fixes were available and aimed to protect systems.

PHP’s development team disclosed the vulnerabilities Tuesday and urged users to install the fixes promptly once released. Patched versions became available Wednesday.

PHP runs back-end functions for widely used website platforms such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and Magento. About 75% of websites whose programming language can be identified use PHP. WordPress alone supports roughly 43% of websites worldwide, including government portals, small-business sites, news pages and online stores.

The language’s broad use puts the fixes in scope for a wide range of site operators, including agencies and businesses using those platforms. PHP users were urged to update promptly.