Other9:50 AM ET

Critical PHP bug could affect up to 70% of websites, company says

By BORSA NewsroomPublished Oct 21, 2026, 9:50 AM EDTUpdated Oct 21, 2026, 9:51 AM EDT

A critical bug in PHP, the scripting language used by WordPress and many government and e-commerce sites, may affect up to 70% of the world's websites, according to a security researcher. The bug was discovered using AI, and a patch was pushed a day early after details leaked. The claim has not been independently confirmed.

Sentimentbearish 30

Bearish · 30 of 100

Impact70

medium · sector-wide

Confidence55%

developing read · single wire

Eventdeveloping

v1 · alerted as breaking

WHAT WE KNOW

Bug found using AI.
Patch pushed early after leak.