Flaws identified using AI in the PHP programming software widely used by 70% of sites on the internet led to thousands of sites being taken offline on Wednesday as a precaution. They could allow hackers to execute code remotely without authentication and access data.
As a precaution, in Switzerland, several sites have been taken offline, such as those of EPFL, the University of Geneva and the University of Fribourg. The LODUR platform, used for the management of numerous Swiss fire brigades, has also been temporarily deactivated by its supplier. Several official Neuchâtel sites were also inaccessible on Wednesday evening, reports RTS.
A “worrying” situation
The Federal Office for Cybersecurity (OFCS), which described the situation as “worrying”, issued a warning on Wednesday. He recommends installing available security updates immediately and not limiting yourself to public web servers. Companies are also invited to check internal applications, administration interfaces and devices integrating PHP, giving priority to systems exposed to the internet or processing sensitive data.
If an update is impossible, the OFCS advises strongly restricting access, or even temporarily disconnecting critical systems from the Internet. He emphasizes that these measures do not replace the installation of patches and that a firewall alone is not enough.
