PHP vulnerability: Which websites and services are affected?

If some of your usual websites aren’t working today, their operators may have temporarily shut them down to keep hackers out.

Two serious security flaws have been discovered in PHP , a programming language that helps websites run.

On vulnerable servers, those flaws could allow hackers to run their own commands or access sensitive information.

Because PHP is used across so many different websites, the same security problem has left operators around the world scrambling to protect their systems.

A fix became available on Oct.

21 , but releasing it doesn’t automatically secure every affected site.

Website operators and hosting providers still need to install the update on their servers.

Some have taken sites offline or restricted features while they do that work, creating disruptions for visitors along the way.

SEE ALSO: PHP vulnerability: PHP security issues today explained From gaming services to government websites Those precautions have disrupted everything from online forums to gaming services.

4chan switched to read-only mode while awaiting a PHP security update, while Wikimedia , the organization behind Wikipedia, took supporting tools offline until they could be safely patched.

In a statement to Mashable, the Wikimedia Foundation confirmed its recent downtime was related to the PHP security issues .

Fur Affinity , Pinboard , and Miraheze also announced precautionary shutdowns, while games including Umamusume: Pretty Derby , Granblue Fantasy , and Princess Connect! Re:Dive announced maintenance to address PHP vulnerabilities.

Government websites have taken similar precautions.

Reuters identified the Port of Rotterdam, Dutch football association KNVB, government portal Overheid.nl, and the Dutch National Cyber Security Centre among those taken offline.