Millions of hacking attempts as companies, governments rush to patch PHP flaws

Global companies and governments moved quickly to patch critical PHP vulnerabilities after reports emerged of millions of hacking attempts following the flaws’ disclosure. The response included emergency website shutdowns in Europe and elsewhere, affecting services used for banking, airlines, rail, taxes and government operations, with incidents recorded from Tokyo to Helsinki. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said at an event in Germany on Thursday that the episode underscores the need for software that can be maintained securely as systems become more complex. PHP developers released fixes on Wednesday and urged users to update immediately. Cloudflare said attacks surged from thousands in the 10 hours before announcement to millions within two hours after. Japanese agencies and firms including Nomura, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, ANA and East Japan Railway temporarily suspended online services, while France’s Orange said it was also taking action.