WORLD NEWS THIS WEEK: Security vulnerability sparks global cybersecurity alarm.

(Chinhphu.vn) - Two serious vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language, the foundation used on the majority of global websites, have prompted many governments and businesses to urgently implement system protection measures this past week. The incident not only highlights potential risks in internet infrastructure but also poses new challenges to cybersecurity in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

A wave of global emergency response.

On October 21st, numerous websites and online services of government agencies and businesses in Europe and many other regions of the world had to temporarily cease operation after two serious security vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language were disclosed.

PHP is an open-source programming language widely used to run websites and online applications, including popular content management systems like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. According to W3Techs data cited by Reuters, PHP is used on nearly 70% of websites that identify a server-side programming language.

The two vulnerabilities, identified as CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, are both rated as severe at 9.2/10. They could allow hackers to remotely execute malicious code on affected servers without requiring login credentials, thereby posing a risk of data theft, modification, or system disruption.

Faced with this threat, many government agencies in the Netherlands , Finland, Belgium, France, and other European countries have proactively suspended certain websites and online services to implement protective measures.

The Wikimedia Foundation, the organization that operates Wikipedia, also had to temporarily shut down some systems while the vulnerability was being addressed. In the UK, the government announced that some services might be temporarily disrupted while cybersecurity risks were being fixed.

In Asia, Japan has seen the temporary suspension of some online services by government agencies and businesses, including the Ministry of Finance and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has instructed relevant agencies to urgently inspect their PHP-based systems and install security patches.

South Korea raised its cybersecurity crisis alert level to "vigilance," the second highest in a four-tier system, and urged government agencies and businesses to quickly update their systems. China also called on organizations and users to review and upgrade software and strengthen cybersecurity monitoring.

Cybersecurity agencies in the US, Europe, Australia, and many other countries have issued warnings, urging organizations to immediately address systems at risk of being affected. If a patch cannot be applied, temporarily disconnecting from websites is recommended as a precautionary measure.

Notably, the attack threat existed even before the patches were released. Amazon's cybersecurity team stated that its MadPot monitoring system detected activity attempting to exploit the vulnerability starting on October 17th, four days before the patch was released.

According to Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince, the number of attempts to exploit the vulnerability increased rapidly after the information was released, from thousands in the 10 hours to tens of thousands in just 45 minutes, hundreds of thousands in 2 hours, and then reaching millions.

However, attempts to exploit vulnerabilities do not necessarily mean successful attacks. Officials in many countries have stated that the system shutdowns are primarily for risk prevention, while the actual extent of the damage still needs to be verified.

Cybersecurity challenges in the age of AI

The PHP incident also drew attention because of the role of AI in the process of detecting and addressing security vulnerabilities.

According to OpenAI, over the past two months, the company has collaborated with developers and cybersecurity experts to address critical vulnerabilities in PHP with the help of AI agents. Researchers at the cybersecurity firm Wiz also stated that they independently used AI to discover these weaknesses.

Notably, the vulnerabilities have existed for many years. The PHP Foundation acknowledges that signs of the security issue were first detected in 2024, but remediation has been delayed due to limitations in decision-making processes and resources.

The fact that AI has helped detect long-standing vulnerabilities demonstrates the technology's ability to support system protection. However, experts warn that AI could also help hackers accelerate vulnerability discovery, develop exploit code, and automate attacks.

Charl van der Walt, a security research expert at Orange Cyberdefense, believes that attackers have an advantage in leveraging AI because the process of building, testing, and deploying patches takes more time.

This reality poses a challenge for regulators and businesses as the time between vulnerability disclosure and attempts to exploit it becomes increasingly limited.

Although the PHP development team released emergency patches on October 21st, a global fix remains a complex process.

According to experts, PHP can be deeply embedded in many IT applications and systems, leaving some organizations unsure of its full scope of use. Updates also require compatibility testing and ensuring continued system operation.

Charl van der Walt warned that the remediation process could take months, even years, especially with older systems or those not yet ready for upgrades.

Meanwhile, technology and cybersecurity companies are increasing the provision of tools to support vulnerability testing and detection. In South Korea, Piolink introduced a free online tool on October 23rd to help administrators assess risks related to two PHP vulnerabilities.

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