The PHP meltdown: How AI makes old bugs more exploitable

AI finds them, AI exploits them

According to Wired, security researchers used AI tools to help uncover vulnerabilities in the PHP web scripting language that had gone unnoticed for years. The same tools also made those flaws easier to exploit, and AI-assisted attacks began.

Why it matters

PHP powers a large share of the web, so old bugs left in outdated versions affect a broad swath of infrastructure rather than individual sites. The core point is that AI speeds up vulnerability discovery, shrinking the window between defense and attack.

The defensive picture

Patching and moving to current versions is critical. When AI-assisted scanning tools land in both defenders' and attackers' hands, the speed of the patching process becomes decisive.