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Critical PHP Vulnerabilities Disrupt European Government Websites

Critical PHP Vulnerabilities Disrupt European Government Websites

First seen 22 Oct 2026, 15:12 UTC • •
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ThreatCluster AI
ThreatCluster •October 22, 2026 at 16:14 UTC
  • •Critical vulnerabilities in PHP disclosed, affecting 1.5 million hosts.
  • •Emergency shutdowns of government websites in Europe to prevent exploitation.
  • •Surge in hacking attempts reported, with millions of attempts post-disclosure.

On October 22, 2026, critical vulnerabilities in PHP were disclosed, prompting emergency shutdowns of government websites across Europe. The vulnerabilities, uncovered using AI, affect approximately 1.5 million hosts running unpatched versions of PHP, which powers about 75% of websites. Security experts warn that the public disclosure could lead to, as hackers may reverse-engineer the flaws. Major organizations, including the Dutch National Cyber Security Centre and Wikipedia, took their services offline as a precaution. The vulnerabilities have led to a surge in hacking attempts, with Cloudflare reporting millions of attempts shortly after the announcement. Cybersecurity agencies worldwide have urged immediate updates or service suspensions to mitigate risks. The PHP Foundation, along with cybersecurity firms, is working on patches that were initially set to be released later but were expedited due to the leak of exploit details. The situation remains critical as the window for attackers to exploit these vulnerabilities narrows.

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Timeline

2026-10-22
Critical vulnerabilities in PHP disclosed
The vulnerabilities were uncovered using AI, affecting millions of websites and prompting emergency shutdowns across Europe.
Calcalistech
2026-10-22
Emergency shutdowns initiated
Government agencies in the Netherlands, Finland, and Denmark took websites offline as a precaution against potential exploitation.
Chinadailyasia
2026-10-22
Surge in hacking attempts reported
Cloudflare noted millions of hacking attempts within hours of the vulnerabilities being made public.
Abc.Au

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Common questions

Which versions of PHP are affected?
All versions of PHP released in the last 20 years are potentially vulnerable.
Is there confirmed exploitation in the wild?
Yes, there are reports of millions of hacking attempts following the disclosure of the vulnerabilities.
What actions should website operators take?
Website operators should update their PHP versions immediately or take their services offline until patches can be applied.