Denmark activates National Operative Staff over PHP security vulnerabilities

Denmark's National Operative Staff (Nost) has been activated to an information readiness level following the discovery of security vulnerabilities in PHP, a widely used programming language for websites and webshops. The Ministry of Social Safety and Emergency Management confirmed the activation after a meeting was held on Wednesday evening.

Minister for Social Safety and Emergency Management Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen stated that while this is not a cyberattack, the vulnerability is a “global event” that could have serious consequences. The flaw effectively leaves the “door wide open” for affected websites that have not implemented security updates.

Developers behind PHP identified the flaw and released an update to close the holes on Wednesday afternoon. As a precautionary measure, several governments and public institutions in various countries have taken websites offline. In Denmark, this includes sites such as the City of Copenhagen, the Danish Road Directorate, and the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI).