{"slug": "up-to-70-of-worlds-websites-at-risk-after-ai-discovers-critical-security-flaw", "title": "Up to 70% of world’s websites at risk after AI discovers critical security flaw", "summary": "The PHP project's maintainers disclosed on Wednesday that a critical vulnerability, dubbed PHP2Shell, affects PHP, the software the project says powers as much as 70% of the world's websites, according to the Wall Street Journal. Security researchers found the flaw using artificial intelligence, and the nonprofit foundation that manages PHP said it is the most severe security flaw the project has faced in more than a decade, warning that hackers could use AI to exploit it and take control of any site running the software.", "body_md": "Much of the [internet](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/internet/?srsltid=AYCX9vJdmB6X4ThvUMLpe0IZZ06BkX88GMp48uVU_AYTCANyx41Kb1d6) could be vulnerable to hackers, according to the creators of the technology that powers a massive chunk of cyberspace.\n\nThe creators of PHP, which powers as much as 70% of the world’s websites, said Wednesday that its system is facing a critical security problem that hackers could use to take control of any website running its software, [according to](https://www.wsj.com/tech/cybersecurity/ai-just-found-a-bug-that-puts-up-to-70-of-the-worlds-websites-at-risk-fd0902ea?mod=hp_lead_pos1) the *Wall Street Journal*. Security researchers found the vulnerability, called PHP2Shell, using artificial intelligence. But AI could also be used by hackers to easily exploit the bug, making the development the most severe security flaw that PHP has faced in more than a decade, according to the nonprofit foundation that manages the PHP project.\n\n# Recommended Stories\n\n  Print subscriber? \n\n[Click here to login/register your account](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/print-subscription-check)\n  Digital subscriber?", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/up-to-70-of-worlds-websites-at-risk-after-ai-discovers-critical-security-flaw", "canonical_source": "https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/technology/4775070/website-ai-security-vulnerability-php/", "published_at": "2026-10-21 23:27:34+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-10-21 23:42:21.675434+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-safety", "artificial-intelligence"], "entities": ["PHP", "PHP2Shell", "Wall Street Journal"], "also_reported_by": [], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/up-to-70-of-worlds-websites-at-risk-after-ai-discovers-critical-security-flaw", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/up-to-70-of-worlds-websites-at-risk-after-ai-discovers-critical-security-flaw.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/up-to-70-of-worlds-websites-at-risk-after-ai-discovers-critical-security-flaw.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/up-to-70-of-worlds-websites-at-risk-after-ai-discovers-critical-security-flaw.jsonld"}}