Cybercrime: Serious security gap threatens websites worldwide – Expert: “We are seeing the first attacks”

Dusseldorf. A serious security vulnerability is shaking the foundations of numerous websites and online services around the world. The widespread programming language PHP, on which a large part of the entire Internet is based, is affected. Shortly before 4 p.m. German time, the PHP developers provided a solution and called on all website operators to update immediately.

Many authorities and providers had already switched off their services out of fear of attacks. The website of the state capital Mainz, for example, was not accessible on Wednesday. The website of the Federal Ministry of the Interior was also temporarily unavailable, as were some state constitutional protection authorities, including Bavaria, Hesse and Thuringia. Sites were also taken offline in Finland and Austria.

PHP is a programming language that runs in the background of websites. Alexander Opel from cybersecurity firm Eset said: “PHP forms the basis of around two-thirds of all active websites worldwide.” All versions of PHP from the past 20 years are affected.

A security vulnerability is particularly relevant here because it can affect many websites around the world at the same time. PHP ensures that users can log in to an online shop, add goods to the shopping cart and pay. They allow attackers to take over the computers on which the pages are stored. They can then access customer data, disrupt payments or use the computers for further attacks.