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Race to update services' computer systems after cyber-security flaw surfaced
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Organisations and businesses are still scrambling to update their systems after cyber-security flaws were revealed in a widely-used programming language, PHP.
Key facts
- It will be universally felt, I suspect," he told BBC Radio 4's World At One
- Dean Presley, who has a garage in Chepstow, South Wales, told BBC Your Voice he had been unable to properly process MOTs online
- According to cyber-security firm Wiz, external, which helped uncover the critical PHP vulnerabilities surfaced this week, PHP powers 70% of the world's websites
- Olly Whitehouse, chief technology officer of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), called the event "unprecedented
Summary
Websites around the world were taken offline on Wednesday and Thursday after the developers of PHP said "critical vulnerabilities" were found in the back-end language, used in web development for decades. Researchers warned the "severe" flaws could expose millions of sites using it to potential hacks if left unpatched - and the UK government was among those to take some sites offline as a precaution. There have been no successful attacks reported so far, but experts say any impact may take time - even months - to become fully apparent. Downing Street said on Thursday "some" limited government services "may be offline" while security work was being carried out.