An internet security flaw affecting software used across much of the web has triggered a worldwide scramble to protect vulnerable websites, with organisations taking services offline as they work to prevent potential cyberattacks, Cape {town} Etc reports.
WordPress, Wikipedia and online shops among platforms at risk
The vulnerability affects PHP, a programming language used to run websites and process information behind the scenes. It is widely used across the internet, including by WordPress, Drupal and Joomla, as well as Wikipedia’s MediaWiki software and online shopping platforms.
According to cybersecurity firm Wiz, the flaws affect PHP itself, meaning websites can be exposed even when their own application code has no known vulnerability.
The cyber attack has extended beyond individual websites. The BBC reported on 22 October that organisations worldwide had taken services offline as a precaution while security updates were installed. These included parts of Wikimedia’s infrastructure, government websites in Finland and the Netherlands, and other public-facing services.
Amazon also reported attempts to exploit the vulnerability, although its websites continued operating normally at the time of the BBC’s report.
Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella told the BBC he had ‘not seen anything like this in a long, long time’.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre advised organisations to consider taking systems offline when immediate fixes were not possible. The PHP development team was equally direct: ‘There are no complete mitigations, updating is the only safe choice.’
What South African website owners should know
South African businesses should contact their website hosting providers or IT teams to confirm that affected PHP installations have been updated. The incident also comes amid wider cybercrime enforcement efforts: South Africa participated in INTERPOL’s separate Operation Serengeti III, which resulted in 1 462 arrests and more than US$105 million recovered in illicit funds.
🚨 Operation Serengeti III dismantles thousands of malicious cyber networks
One of Africa’s largest cybercrime enforcement operations has seen agencies from 21 countries:
🔵 Arrest 1,462 suspects
🔵 Disrupt 10,909 malicious networks
🔵 Recover USD 105 million in illicit fundsUnder INTERPOL’s coordination, investigators from participating countries joined forces to combat cyber-enabled fraud, ransomware, business email compromise, online scams and digital extortion.
Authorities also identified 65,929 victims targeted by cybercriminal networks, underscoring the scale and sophistication of today’s digital threats. Financial investigations linked criminal activity to losses exceeding USD 385 million.
➡️ 🔗 https://t.co/jXIjTNSE5J
— INTERPOL (@INTERPOL_HQ) October 22, 2026
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