NHS Scotland and councils take websites offline over PHP security flaws

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 18:32 · Archive

Websites including NHS Scotland and Edinburgh Council have gone offline after critical security vulnerabilities were discovered in the PHP programming language.

Critical security vulnerabilities were discovered in PHP, the programming language powering much of the internet, on Wednesday. The flaws could allow unauthorised remote access to PHP-based websites if specific conditions are met. While complex to exploit, the likelihood of attacks increases with AI use.

NHS Scotland and Edinburgh Council are among organisations that have taken their websites offline. Government websites in Finland, France, Denmark and the Netherlands have also gone down. A fix was issued Wednesday afternoon, but organisations unable to apply it immediately were advised to consider taking their sites down as a precaution.

Edinburgh Council posted on social media that its website was offline for essential maintenance and urged residents with urgent enquiries to call the council directly on 0131 200 2000. A council spokesperson said it was waiting on an update from its web provider with hopes of restoring the site soon. LibDem MSP Sanne Dijkstra-Downie said residents relying on online services would find the disruption frustrating and concerning, and called for clear communication about how long services would remain offline.

How it is being reported

• Edinburgh Council website pulled down after critical cybersecurity flaw discoveredA number of organisations in Europe have taken websites down as a precaution.Daily Record · 21 Oct, 17:45
• NHS Scotland website down as major cyber-security flaws found on sites worldwideWebsites across the world – including in Scotland – have been taken down after critical cyber-security weaknesses were discoveredThe National · 21 Oct, 17:39

In this story: NHS Scotland · Edinburgh Council · PHP · Finland · France · Denmark · Netherlands

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem