# New Zealand warns of global website shutdowns in security scare

> New Zealand's cybersecurity centre alerts about worldwide website outages due to critical PHP vulnerabilities.
- Title: New Zealand warns of global website shutdowns in security…
- Summary: New Zealand's cybersecurity centre alerts about worldwide website outages due to critical PHP vulnerabilities. New Zealand's National Cybersecurity Centre…
- Keywords: php, national cybersecurity centre, website shutdowns, critical vulnerabilities, hackers, new zealand, politics, news, Zealand, warns, global, website
- Source: RNZ — https://rnz.co.nz/news/political/2075189/warning-for-nz-as-websites-go-dark-around-world-in-security-scare
- Author: RNZ | Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa
- Published: 2026-10-21T21:53:27+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: php, national cybersecurity centre, website shutdowns, critical vulnerabilities, hackers, new zealand, politics, news
## Global websites go dark
New Zealand's National Cybersecurity Centre says it's aware of a website security scare that has led to the shutdown of government websites around the world.
## PHP vulnerabilities exposed
Developers of the PHP programming language released urgent new fixes to vulnerabilities that had quietly been lurking in their software for years until they were uncovered using AI.
## Tech firms warn of exploitation
Tech firms are warning that some hackers were already exploiting the flaws as the next step was the mass compromise of every vulnerable web server on the internet.
## Global agencies take action
Government agencies across Europe took sites offline as a precaution after the disclosure of critical vulnerabilities in a widely used programming language.
## Widespread impact
All servers using any version of PHP released in the last 20 years will be vulnerable, impacting the majority of the Internet.
## Key takeaway

New Zealand's National Cybersecurity Centre warns of global website shutdowns as critical PHP vulnerabilities are exploited by hackers.