Technology — Internet races to fend off newly discovered security flaws

View Online Technology Technology The Big Story  Internet races to fend off newly discovered security flaws The National Security Agency (NSA) warned organizations Wednesday to immediately patch a pair of security flaws or take their systems offline after artificial intelligence discovered vulnerabilities in a key programming language. © AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File “Effective Immediately, all organizations using PHP for their systems are advised to be prepared for an update addressing two critical vulnerabilities,” the NSA’s cyber division wrote in a post on the social platform X.   “These vulnerabilities often provide a direct path to the server’s file system or database,” the agency continued. “If an immediate update is not feasible, it is recommended that organizations take the system offline until it can be fully mitigated.”   PHP is a programming language frequently used in web development and is often referred to as the “backbone of the web.” It powers 70 percent of all websites around the world.   Developers of the PHP language released fixes to the vulnerabilities Wednesday morning after government websites in Europe and elsewhere went dark, urging users to “update immediately.”   The bug identified by security researchers has been present in the code for 14 years, OpenAI President Greg Brockman said Wednesday.   A limited version of the bug was initially discovered in 2024 but wasn’t deemed significant, he noted. In August, security researchers working with an OpenAI initiative and using the company’s GPT-5.6 Sol model found a version of the vulnerability.   “Over the past two months, we have been leading a coalition to mitigate one of the most severe bugs in open source software found in recent memory,” Brockman wrote on X.   Read the full report at TheHill.com Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: Judge orders Meta to pay New Mexico $25B in Cambridge Analytica case A judge in New Mexico ordered the technology giant Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company liable for misleading users about its privacy and content policies. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez (D) announced the judge’s order Wednesday, calling it “one of the single largest — if not the largest — single state verdict against the company in American history.” “Today’s judgement …  Full Story Musk: SpaceX, Tesla merger a ‘good idea’ Elon Musk said Tuesday that his two companies, SpaceX and Tesla, have formed independent special committees to discuss the potential merger, calling it “a good idea.” “I think it would be a good ​idea, but it’s really up to the special committees of both companies,” Musk told investors on a conference call, according to a Reuters report. “Because I’m a conflicted party, I can’t …  Full Story China expresses ‘firm opposition’ to Trump administration sanctions tied to former Google engineer China slammed the Trump administration’s move to sanction five Chinese companies linked to a former Google engineer accused of intellectual property theft, calling it “egregious.” The State Department announced the sanctions on Monday, stating the firms are connected to Chinese national Linwei Ding, who was convicted earlier this year of stealing AI-related trade secrets from Google. 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The clues led straight to her own family (WIRED) Crypto Corner  House Democrats ready probes — with Trump's crypto ventures in sight © Greg Nash House Democrats are readying a host of probes into President Trump and his administration if their party takes control of the lower chamber in next month's elections.   Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), who’s in line to chair the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee if Democrats win the gavels, is promising intense scrutiny of Trump’s personal and family finances.   The Trump family's finances have become increasingly tied up in the cryptocurrency industry, accounting for more than half of the president's income last year alone.   His GOP allies say it’s just another example of Trump’s business savvy. But Democrats say it’s open corruption, accusing the president of using his powers to enrich himself.   Their investigations will explore not only Trump’s personal interests, but those of his close associates, his sons and other family members.   Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a senior member of the Oversight Committee, is also the top Democrat on the special House committee overseeing China policy.   He said he’s ready to dive into the details of another deal that led the United Arab Emirates to invest billions of dollars in the crypto enterprise run by the Trump and Witkoff families, which came just as the White House approved the sale of valuable computer chips to the UAE.    Subscribe to The Hill Insider for a look at House Democrats' other oversight priorities in the next Congress. Crypto Corner is a daily feature focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington. CAPITOL CRYPTO FORUM  Be in the room where crypto policy takes shape NOVEMBER 19 · 8:00 AM–12:00 PM · STATION DC The Hill and The Block are bringing lawmakers, regulators and digital-asset leaders together in Washington for the inaugural Capitol Crypto Forum. Join the conversation on the Clarity Act, the next moves for the SEC and CFTC, and the future of U.S. crypto policy. REGISTER FOR CAPITOL CRYPTO FORUM → In Other News  Branch out with other reads on The Hill: GOP rep: ‘We got to investigate’ Starlink slowdown report Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) is calling for a congressional investigation into the Starlink slowdown in Ukraine after a report that SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk personally ordered it. “We got to call the witnesses, got to bring them in, put them under oath, and get to the bottom of it,” Fitzpatrick told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Tuesday. “We cannot just move past this. This is a serious, serious issue because lapsing … Full Story Op-eds in The Hill Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill: Want AI agents to stop going rogue? Make executives personally liable.   You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Technology page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.