PHP security flaws prompt Japan to take websites down while US keeps them up

Cybersecurity

Japanese companies halt online services out of abundance of caution

Companies have rushed to patch vulnerabilities in PHP, a programming language used by roughly 70% of websites. © Reuters

MASAHARU BAN and HIROKO NISHIMURA

October 24, 2026 03:49 JST

PALO ALTO, California/NEW YORK — The revelation of security flaws in the PHP programming language spurred hundreds of Japanese websites to go offline for maintenance, but their American counterparts tended to favor behind-the-scenes fixes that did not disrupt services.