Students across Cardiff University will have noticed an emergency alert at the top of their Cardiff University apps informing them that some university systems have been affected by what the alert calls "a global cyber-security issue". It directs students to the IT status page for periodic updates. This follows the discovery of a severe cyber-security flaw affecting PHP websites which was identified by AI, described by researchers as a 9.2 out of 10 according to the BBC. As the world’s IT experts grapple with this unexpected discovery, how have Cardiff University students been affected, and how long will this last?
The flaw that was found involves a type of widely-used programming language used for web development called PHP. According to the BBC, in 2024 experts found a "potential theoretical flaw" in PHP which could pose potential cyber security risks including cyber attacks, but did not know how any human would have the capacity to use it to their advantage. But with advancements in AI happening all the time, the discovery was made in the summer of 2026 that this vulnerability could indeed be exploited with malicious intent.
PHP teamed with researchers to attempt to formulate a security patch that could be applied to any company and website, ensuring widespread safety—but internal information leaks led to cybercriminals using an AI of their own in an attempt to utilise the flaw and find a way into websites. For the average consumer, this poses risks to personal data around the globe.
The status page’s most recent update, posted October 21st, claims that IT staff were made aware of "a significant vulnerability requiring urgent patching maintenance", calling the issue "critical" and stating that the decision has been made to "block internet access to the affected systems". They claim that the "vast majority" of systems aren’t affected, but that it is ‘difficult’ to determine all affected systems. The post notes that has access to the blocked sites is still available on campus or via the VPN, but for students who commute to university from home, how will this affect them?