AI speeds up vulnerability discovery – critical PHP vulnerabilities cause service disruptions

Artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating the discovery and potential exploitation of security vulnerabilities. A recent example involves critical vulnerabilities in PHP, a widely used web technology, which have caused some online services to become temporarily unavailable. According to the National Cyber Security Centre Finland (NCSC-FI) at Traficom, there have so far been no reports of successful exploitation of the PHP vulnerabilities in Finland.

"The critical PHP vulnerabilities are significant because PHP is used extensively in online services. It is important that organisations update their PHP-based websites and other systems as quickly as possible to prevent attackers from exploiting the vulnerabilities," says Roni Kokkola, Information Security Specialist at the NCSC-FI.

Organisations need to respond quickly

By the summer of 2026, the number of security vulnerabilities disclosed internationally had already exceeded the total for 2025. AI is speeding up the discovery and potential exploitation of vulnerabilities, but it is also being used to fix them. However, the discovery of a vulnerability does not mean that a system has been compromised. Fixing a vulnerability is often faster than successfully exploiting it. It is important that organisations install updates without delay and restrict access to vulnerable systems where necessary.

PHP vulnerabilities can disrupt online services

Critical vulnerabilities in PHP, a technology widely used on websites, could lead to intrusions and data leaks in the worst cases. Some organisations have temporarily shut down their online services as a precaution to prevent the vulnerabilities from being exploited.

For users, the situation is mainly visible as service disruptions, which do not in themselves mean that an intrusion has occurred or that data has been compromised. Services are being restored as security patches are deployed.

NCSC-FI monitors vulnerabilities and alerts organisations

The NCSC-FI issued an advisory on the PHP vulnerabilities on Wednesday morning and updated it later that evening when fixes became available. The centre also shared information about the vulnerabilities and available fixes with its networks.

The NCSC-FI continuously monitors new vulnerabilities, assesses their severity and informs organisations about the protective measures they need to take. The centre also scans Finland's cyberspace to identify critically vulnerable systems and contact their administrators.

Up-to-date information on vulnerabilities and how to fix them is available in the NCSC-FI's vulnerability advisories and daily vulnerability summary.

• Critical vulnerabilities in PHP, NCSC-FI vulnerability advisory (in Finnish)Ulkoinen verkkopalvelu.

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