Websites shut down globally after AI finds cybersecurity flaw affecting 70% of the internet

A significant cybersecurity flaw, aided by artificial intelligence in its discovery, has led to widespread website disruptions and temporary shutdowns globally over the past two days. The vulnerabilities, identified in the widely used PHP programming language that underpins an estimated 70-75% of the internet's websites, could allow attackers to remotely execute code, access sensitive data, and disrupt services. Security researchers at companies like Wiz and Calif, with assistance from AI models such as Google's Gemini 4 Argon and OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol, uncovered these critical bugs, collectively referred to by some as PHP2Shell, despite them existing undetected for years.

In response to the urgent threat, the PHP Foundation has released an emergency patch. Cybersecurity authorities worldwide, including the US National Security Agency and European agencies, have strongly advised organizations to immediately update their systems or temporarily take affected websites offline if updates cannot be applied quickly. This directive prompted numerous government websites in Europe and the UK, along with various companies globally, to go dark briefly while implementing the necessary fixes.

The rapid disclosure of the flaw and the patch has created a precarious "race to exploit" situation, with experts warning that malicious actors could use AI tools to quickly reverse-engineer the vulnerability. Millions of attempted cyberattacks were detected shortly after the details became public, highlighting the severe and immediate risk to unpatched systems. Cybersecurity experts have characterized these vulnerabilities as among the most critical ever found in PHP, posing a substantial threat to internet security.