A critical security flaw in PHP, the programming language used by about 70% of websites worldwide, has raised fears of widespread cyberattacks. Government agencies, banks, schools and hospitals in the United States, Japan and Europe have temporarily taken their websites offline to protect against potential attacks. The flaw came to light after AI uncovered a way to exploit a vulnerability long thought impossible to breach.The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) on Oct. 21 urged all organizations and businesses using PHP to prepare security updates to address the flaw. It also recommended taking websites offline until the patches could be installed. PHP’s development team has released emergency fixes and called on users to update their systems immediately.PHP has been used around the world, including in South Korea, for more than 30 years. The programming language runs on web servers to generate web pages. The newly discovered flaw could let hackers execute malicious code remotely and take control of servers and databases. A successful attack could expose personal information or allow hackers to tamper with websites, potentially causing serious damage.Much depends on how quickly website operators install the security patches. Even after the fixes are released, hackers could analyze them to figure out how to exploit the underlying flaw. Websites running older versions of PHP pose a particular concern because updating them can be difficult.South Korea reportedly has the world’s sixth-largest number of internet servers running PHP. Authorities need to identify websites operated by small businesses, private academies and clinics that were built years ago by outside contractors, then move quickly to address the risks posed by outdated software. The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA) issued a “caution” alert for PHP-related cyber threats in the private sector at noon on Oct. 22. Critics say South Korea’s response has been less urgent than that of the United States and Japan, where the White House and the Japanese prime minister’s office intervened directly the previous day.AI presents both a powerful defense tool and a potential weapon for hackers. It can find security weaknesses that human experts have overlooked, but it can also help attackers exploit them. Recent signs suggest AI was used in cyberattacks on financial institutions’ websites. In the United States, one analysis estimated that AI-driven attacks on critical infrastructure, including power grids and water systems, could succeed in as many as 90% of cases. South Korea must take these emerging threats seriously, strengthen its information security systems and ensure that website operators are prepared to respond before AI-powered attacks catch them off guard.
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