In July 2004, security researcher Stefan Esser sent a warning .

Artificial intelligence has found critical security flaws in a major programming language called PHP, with many websites taken offline as organisations worldwide work to fend off would-be hackers.

Artificial intelligence helped uncover critical security flaws in PHP, a programming language that powers websites behind the scenes. Developers released fixes Wednesday for two vulnerabilities that could let attackers run unauthorized code on web servers without logging in. Both flaws involve how PHP handles computer memory. Depending on what a compromised server can access, an attack could put information or website operations at risk. PHP generates web pages, collects information from forms and communicates with databases. OpenAI said security firm Calif identified a critical flaw using its GPT-5.6 model this week. Security company Wiz independently discovered and reported both vulnerabilities Wednesday. Researchers, software maintainers and security providers were involved in a coordinated effort. Website operators and hosting providers are responsible for installing the fixes. North Texas businesses can ask their hosting provider, developer or information technology staff whether the updates are installed. Website visitors do not need to install PHP on their phones or computers.

Websites face being taken offline after a critical flaw was discovered in core internet software.