From PCMAG · Michael Kan · · 1m 40s
Hackers Exploit PHP Flaw
Hackers probe PHP vulnerabilities as sites scramble to patch security flaws.
In brief
Hackers probe PHP vulnerabilities as sites scramble to patch security flaws. Hackers have attempted to exploit two serious PHP vulnerabilities before official patches were released, prompting some websites to go offline temporarily. Originally reported by PCMAG.
Hackers probe PHP flaws
Hackers have quickly pounced on a major flaw in PHP, a scripting language used across the web, probing vulnerable sites and trying to exploit them.
Amazon detects early exploit attempt
Amazon uncovered signs that someone tried to abuse the flaw four days earlier on Saturday before the threat was publicly known.
Cybersecurity vendors spot activity
A growing number of cybersecurity providers and researchers have spotted suspicious activity as the IT industry scrambles to patch two high-severity vulnerabilities in PHP.
VulnCheck sets up honeypots
VulnCheck has set up honeypots, or fake vulnerable systems, to track if hackers are targeting the PHP flaws.
Honeypots show Canadian and Dutch IPs
Two IP addresses from Canada and the Netherlands, flagged as malicious, were frequently connecting to the honeypots to probe for vulnerabilities.
Chinese IP attempts exploit
VulnCheck observed at least one attempted exploit coming from an IP address based in China that abused the first PHP flaw, CVE-2026-109618.
Exploit attempt failed
The exploit attempt failed because it tried to read the file back through a file disclosure path, but the path did not exist, so the attempt received a 404.
Amazon's earlier exploit attempt
Amazon discovered an earlier exploitation attempt dating to Oct. 17, 2026 in the company's Madpot honeypot security tool.
Amazon explains exploit origin
The exploit attempt originated from an IP address associated with a commercial anonymization network, suggesting the activity was conducted by a threat actor.
The short version
Hackers have attempted to exploit two serious PHP vulnerabilities before official patches were released, prompting some websites to go offline temporarily.
