Mirko Ross to F.A.Z.: “This is a vulnerability apocalypse”

Two highly critical security vulnerabilities in PHP, one of the most widely used programming languages, are putting large parts of the internet at risk. They allow attackers to place their own programs on affected servers from outside. In an interview with the F.A.Z., IT security expert Mirko Ross compares the situation to a disaster scenario. For attackers, he says, it is “a jackpot”: anything from tampering with websites to diverting online payments is possible.

An update alone is no longer enough

He also explains how much artificial intelligence has changed things. In the past, operators still had a few days after such vulnerabilities came to light. Today, the first waves of attacks start within just a few hours. Anyone patching now must therefore assume that attackers have already been inside their systems. In Mirko’s view, an update is important, but it is not enough on its own.

The interview also looks at why many providers have temporarily taken their services offline and why outdated PHP versions are now becoming a problem. Mirko Ross also talks about devices that are still connected to the internet but that nobody looks after any more. These “internet corpses”, he says, are “a dream” for botnets.

Read the full interview with Mirko Ross in the F.A.Z. (in German)
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/unternehmen/jackpot-fuer-angreifer-it-fachmann-mirko-ross-ueber-die-php-schwachstelle-201611025.html

F.A.Z. spoke with Mirko Ross about the consequences of the PHP security vulnerability
Konrad Buck

Konrad Buck

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