US agencies urge fixes for programming language flaws putting millions of web systems at risk
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ByDavid DiMolfetta,
Cybersecurity Reporter, Nextgov/FCW
October 21, 2026 12:04 PM ET
The flaws in the widely used website software known as PHP could expose data and let hackers seize control.
The NSA, FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency urged organizations Wednesday to fix two critical flaws in software that powers much of the web, warning that systems should be taken offline if they cannot be secured promptly.
The vulnerabilities affect PHP, a programming language that works behind the scenes to run websites, process forms and retrieve information. Hackers could exploit the flaws in that software to run commands on an affected server without logging in, potentially allowing them to steal data, change a website’s contents or take control of it.
The scale of PHP’s use makes the warning highly significant. It runs on roughly 70% of websites whose underlying server-side programming...
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