U.S.HOT TAKE OR NOT
Governments pull websites offline over PHP flaw
The NSA urged millions of organizations to patch the flaw immediately or take servers offline, and the Dutch cybersecurity agency switched itself off too; so much for the warning.
On air: Vera Bullock, Rosa Ticks and Dale Bearman on The Midday ShowPublished
Watch it as it aired: Vera Bullock, Rosa Ticks and Dale Bearman on this story, from The Midday Show at 12:03 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are CNBC's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by CNBC: “Why governments pulled websites offline over the decades-old PHP programming language”, with reporting from CBC.
- Covered on BBN on Friday, October 23, 2026, at 12:03 PM ET on The Midday Show, by Vera Bullock, Rosa Ticks and Dale Bearman.
- Topics: PHP.
- BBN covered this story before: AI finds major flaw in PHP before it was patched (October 22).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorGovernments in several countries took websites offline over a flaw in PHP, a programming language from the nineteen nineties, CNBC reports.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThe bug is called PHP2Shell. I have my thermometer. Rosa, Dale, give me heat.
Rosa Ticks · Live ReporterThe Dutch cybersecurity agency took ITSELF offline as a precaution! The agency that warns you about the fire left the building and locked the door!
Rosa Ticks · Live ReporterMy take: that is the least anyone has ever trusted a door, and I trust it completely!
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorHOT. Nobody has ever hacked a door that is shut.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThe National Security Agency told millions of organizations to patch immediately or switch their servers off.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorMy take is that most of them will choose the switch, because patching means a meeting, and nobody has ever survived a meeting.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorNOT. It's a very nice thing to say about meetings and a very bleak thing to say about everything else.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThat's ridiculous. I gave you a take with a thermometer reading of doom and you gave me a review of my attitude.
Rosa Ticks · Live ReporterBreathe, Dale! Vera told me to say that!
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorFine, Dale, HOT then. Mostly because the PHP Foundation said, quote, if you run PHP, it is imperative that you update now.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorAnd you were already worried.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorMy own take, and it's the hottest: the safest website is one nobody can visit.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorEvery government should be permanently under maintenance, and the public would never know the difference.
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Photo: Neil Theasby · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: User:Aude · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Marvin Lynchard, U.S. Department of Defense · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Sorens (talk) / Julia Sorenson · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: David Gahr · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
The story so far
- Storm Austen warnings, PHP patch, Raphinha's rise · BBC
- AI Helps Find and Fix Critical Flaw in PHP Before Attackers Do · The New York Times
- PHP flaws found with AI take websites offline worldwide · Japan Today
- AI finds major flaw in PHP before it was patched · BBC
- Governments pull websites offline over PHP flaw (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Friday, October 23, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months
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