TechBREAKING NEWS
Major websites in US and Europe go dark over hacker threat
Europe's cybersecurity response team advised organisations that cannot patch quickly to consider taking sites offline, after two flaws rated nine point two out of ten were disclosed.
On air: Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Dale Bearman on BBN NewsroomPublished
Photo: HaeB · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Dale Bearman on this story, from BBN Newsroom at 2:08 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are New York Post's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by New York Post: “Major websites in US and Europe go dark as operators race to protect systems from hackers”, with reporting from NBC News, Reuters via U.S. News & World Report and The Next Web.
- Covered on BBN on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 2:08 PM ET on BBN Newsroom, by Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Dale Bearman.
- Topics: Europe, US.
- BBN covered this story before: Americans who moved to Europe over politics now regret it (October 20).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- New York PostMajor websites in US and Europe go dark as operators race to protect systems from hackers
- NBC NewsCritical vulnerabilities in commonly used web code spark rush to update systems October 21, 2026 · facts used on air
- Reuters via U.S. News & World ReportGovernment Websites Go Dark After AI-Discovered Flaw Sparks Security Scramble October 21, 2026 · facts used on air
- The Next WebEU cybersecurity team says unpatched PHP sites may need to go offline October 21, 2026 · facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThis just in: major websites in the US and Europe went offline today as operators raced to protect their servers from newly disclosed software flaws that could let hackers take control, the New York Post reports.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThis is analysis, but for you it means some sites may be down for a while.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorPinboard, 4Chan and parts of Wikipedia went offline to wait for a patch, and Dutch and Finnish government agencies did the same.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThe two flaws are rated nine point two out of ten, and the Drupal Association's interim chief says every server running PHP from the last twenty years is vulnerable.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorTwenty years.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorA fix is coming, and we'll bring you updates as they arrive.
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Photo: Jacket by Alex Gotfryd Photo by Alex Gotfryd · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Daniel Torok · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Ka Kit Pang · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: w:en:Hughs ( talk | contribs ) · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.5
Photo: Miss Puzzle · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Dukedestiny01.jpg : "Janneke Vreugdenhil" derivative… · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
The story so far
- What's behind Europe's youth protests? · Al Jazeera
- Clayface and The Terminal List lead this week's Europe picks · Euronews
- Study finds most of Europe's wild bee species in decline · The Guardian
- ExoMars orbiter and Schiaparelli lander reached Mars on this day · Space.com
- Google Reports Cloud Disruptions in Europe Region · The New York Times
- Americans who moved to Europe over politics now regret it · Wired
- Major websites in US and Europe go dark over hacker threat (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 · the Tech archive · all months
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