Critical PHP flaw: websites worldwide taken offline as governments race to patch

PHP developers issued urgent fixes for two critical flaws, found with AI's help, that could let attackers take over web servers. Government sites in several European countries went offline as a precaution, and the NSA told organisations to patch or disconnect.

L 36%C 32%R 32%

L 36% · C 32% · R 32% · 25 outlets

Left 0 · Centre-left 9 · Centre 8 · Centre-right 5 · Right 3

Sources by lean Follow the money More coverage

How each side framed it

Left-leaning outlets

Scale and dependence: 'a flaw affecting 70% of the internet' (CNN), 'NHS Scotland website down' (The National), and the role of AI in finding the bugs (NYT).

Centre outlets

Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Websites taken offline in race to patch PHP security flaw” (Financial Times); “Websites taken offline over PHP risks” (Reuters).

Right-leaning outlets

AI and security threat: 'AI discovers critical security glitch' (Telegraph, Breitbart), 'FBI warns of critical flaws' (Newsmax), 'up to 70% of world's websites at risk' (Washington Examiner).

Holding the paradox

Agreed facts

PHP developers released urgent fixes on Wednesday for two critical flaws, found with the help of AI, that could let attackers take over web servers without a password. Government sites in France, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands were taken offline as a precaution. The NSA told organisations to patch immediately or pull vulnerable systems offline. PHP is estimated to run about 70% of websites.

Where claims conflict

How bad: Wiz calls them 'among the most severe… arguably in software history', while other reports stress that only sites running PHP on their own servers are exposed and many large platforms patched quickly. Whether exploitation is already widespread: Sky reports 'millions' of attempts, but confirmed compromises are not yet reported.

The paradox

The same AI that found decades-old bugs now helps attackers reverse-engineer the patch within hours. A tool for defence and a tool for attack are the same tool, and the advantage goes to whoever moves faster.

Sources by lean

Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.

Showing 3 from each side of 25 rated outlets (L 9 / C 8 / R 8). More coverage

Follow the money

Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.

Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (25 outlets)

Outlet	Lean	Ownership & funding (MBFC)
Al Jazeera	Centre-left	Al Jazeera is owned and funded by the state of Qatar. The founder and Chairman of the Board is Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s ruling family, the House of Thani. According to a Fortune article, i n 2016, state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera laid off 500 workers due to Qatar’s financial troubles resulting from low global prices for oil and natural gas. source
CNN	Centre-left	No ownership data found
Daily Mirror	Centre-left	British Publishing Company Reach plc (formerly Trinity Mirror) owns The Daily Mirror. Revenue is generated through digital advertising, print ads, and subscription fees. source
Deutsche Welle	Centre-left	The German government funds Deutsche Welle (DW). They state, “DW is financed via funding from the state – i.e., from tax revenue. This is in contrast to the domestic public channels, which are funded via broadcasting fees.” source
New York Times	Centre-left	The Ochs-Sulzberger family controls the New York Times through Class B shares. Since 1967, the company has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYT. Class B shares are those that are held privately. source
The Guardian	Centre-left	The Guardian and its companion publication, the Sunday newspaper The Observer, are owned by Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). Scott Trust Limited was created in 1936 to ensure the editorial independence of the publications and owns Guardian Media Group plc (GMG). source
The Independent	Centre-left	The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source
The National (Scotland)	Centre-left	The National is operated by Newsquest Media Group Ltd., a UK-based local media publisher. Newsquest is a wholly owned subsidiary of USA TODAY Co., Inc., the media company formerly known as Gannett Company, which also controls AZthe USA TODAY Network of national and local news outlets in the United States and regional titles in the United Kingdom. Revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales source
USA Today	Centre-left	USA Today is owned by the Gannett Company, headquartered in McLean, Virginia. It is one of the largest newspaper publishers in the United States, with interests in newspapers, digital marketing services companies, and television broadcasting. Subscriptions and advertising generate revenue. source
BBC News	Centre	The BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Oversight is managed by the BBC Board, and regulatory authority rests with Ofcom. source
Financial Times	Centre	The Financial Times is owned by The Nikkei, a Japanese news and financial information company that publishes the leading financial paper, The Nikkei. The FT generates revenue through subscriptions, a hard paywall, and advertising..push({}); source
France 24	Centre	France 24 is owned by France Médias Monde, a state-owned French holding company that supervises and coordinates the activities of the major public media organizations broadcasting or publishing internationally from France. Besides government funding, they also generate revenue through advertising. source
News24	Centre	Media24 owns and publishes News24.com. They publish several magazines, newspapers, and online publications in South Africa. Advertising and subscription fees generate revenue. source
Reuters	Centre	In April 2008, the British company Reuters Group was acquired by Thomson Corporation and formed Thomson Reuters. source
Sky News	Centre	Sky News is owned by Comcast as of November 2018 and is funded through advertising. Rupert Murdoch is no longer affiliated with Sky News UK; however, Newscorp still has a share of Sky News Australia, which reports with a right-leaning bias. source
The Conversation	Centre	The Conversation websites are held by the not-for-profit educational charity owned by The Conversation Trust. The Conversation is funded by the university and research sector, government, and business..push({}); source
The Economist	Centre	The Economist is owned by the Economist Group, which is a British multinational media company. They are primarily owned by the Cadbury, Rothschild, Schroder, Layton, and Agnelli families. Subscriptions, advertising, and sponsored content generate revenue for the Economist. source
ITV News	Centre-right	No ownership data found
Jerusalem Post	Centre-right	In 1989, the paper was purchased by Hollinger Inc. for $17-million, which Canadian-born British Conservative Conrad Black owned. Conrad Black later was charged with “swindling his company, Hollinger International, of $60 million.” He was serving a prison sentence; however, in 2019, President Donald Trump pardoned him. source
Newsweek	Centre-right	Newsweek is owned by Newsweek Publishing LLC, which is co-owned by Dev Pragad and Johnathan Davis. Newsweek is funded through a paid subscription and advertising model. source
The Times	Centre-right	The Times and Sunday Times is owned by News UK (News Corp UK & Ireland Limited), which American News Corp owns. The owner and Executive Chairman of News Corp are Rupert Murdoch. Revenue is derived from advertising and subscription fees. source
Washington Examiner	Centre-right	The Washington Examiner is owned by Clarity Media Group, owned by Philip Anschutz, an American billionaire entrepreneur who describes himself as a “conservative Christian.” Anschutz is also the owner of the right-leaning Weekly Standard and has donated millions of dollars to right-leaning causes, including anti-LGBT groups, such as the Family Research Council, which has been labeled a hate group. source
Breitbart	Right	After the death of Andrew Breitbart in 2012, Larry Solov became CEO and president of Breitbart News. In 2017, according to Politico, Larry Solov revealed the owner of Breitbart as “himself, founder Andrew Breitbart’s widow, Susie Breitbart, and the Republican mega-donor family, the Mercers.” Further, Solov also stated that he wants “to disclose as little as possible about financial and ownership structure.” source
Newsmax	Right	Newsmax is owned by publicly traded Newsmax Inc., which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NMAX on March 31, 2025. The company completed a $75 million public offering after previously raising approximately $225 million through a preferred-stock offering. source
The Telegraph	Right	Telegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source