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How does a site go 'offline'?
Taking a website offline usually means temporarily disconnecting its servers from the internet. This prevents anyone from accessing the site, but also stops the flaw from being exploited. As the story mentions, Finland shut down public government services and Wikipedia pulled some systems to protect them from the PHP vulnerabilities.
Stories that explain this
Websites worldwide go offline after two serious flaws found in PHPQuestions this opens up
Who runs the internet? What are web servers? What is a 'vulnerability'?Related explainers
How does AI find flaws? What is a cyber-security firm? What is the Dutch agency? What did the Dutch do? Is the Dutch NCSC like Britain's? Who owns Wikipedia? What is PHP? What is PHP anyway?The full catalogue
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