AI models find two critical PHP vulnerabilities; exploitation prompts emergency website shutdowns
2026-10-21 | USA | incident | economic, reputational
Our take
The AI found the holes and then other people's AI used them. The scanning business has never been so evenly matched.
The facts
AI models used by cybersecurity firms discovered two critical PHP vulnerabilities affecting about 70% of global websites. The flaws allowed attackers to take over servers without passwords, prompting emergency shutdowns of government and enterprise sites worldwide. State-backed hackers, notably from China, exploited AI tools for attacks, escalating the crisis.