0
The words "AI Hacker" and PHP code are displayed on the screen in the illustration. / Reuters, Yonhap

Companies and government agencies worldwide are rushing to apply emergency security patches after critical vulnerabilities were discovered in PHP, a programming language that serves as a key foundation of the global web ecosystem. As hacking attempts surged immediately after the vulnerabilities were disclosed, organizations have stepped up their responses by taking preventive measures, including suspending services.

According to the IT and cybersecurity industry on Oct. 22 (local time), PHP developers used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify security vulnerabilities, released emergency patches and urged users to update immediately. However, information about the vulnerabilities reportedly leaked before the patches were released, triggering a sharp surge in attempted attacks within a short period, Reuters reported.

Cloud services companies Cloudflare and Amazon recorded millions of hacking attempts as businesses and governments applied patches and temporarily shut down websites as a precaution.

Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that attempts to exploit the vulnerabilities had surged from thousands before the announcement to tens of thousands immediately afterward, eventually reaching millions. Amazon also reported widespread attempted intrusions.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella described the situation as "something we haven't seen in a long time," emphasizing the importance of maintaining software security as systems become increasingly complex.

The incident prompted major infrastructure services around the world to suspend operations as a precaution. In Japan, Nomura Securities, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and East Japan Railway temporarily suspended related online services. Web services operated by public agencies, including the Ministry of Finance, the Japan Meteorological Agency and the National Tax Agency, were also suspended in stages.

French telecommunications company Orange also blocked access to PHP-based websites operated by some of its subsidiaries.

Valtori, Finland's state-owned IT services provider, began gradually restoring services after blocking access to websites and carrying out overnight patching. However, the company said full restoration could take time.

Governments around the world also raised their cybersecurity alert levels. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology ordered emergency security inspections, including upgrades to the latest software versions and changes to passwords and security keys.

South Korea also raised its cybersecurity alert level for the private sector and activated an emergency response system to strengthen monitoring.

Experts have warned of the risks facing organizations operating outdated systems. Bitkom, Germany's digital industry association, said that while major companies had been quick to apply initial patches, smaller businesses using older PHP versions and organizations with complex legacy IT environments could face prolonged security gaps. In some cases, updates may be impossible, requiring a complete overhaul of their systems.

                                                                                                          Lee Jeong-eun