While the internet lacks a central off switch, dependencies on common infrastructure leave essential platforms vulnerable to localized outages. For instance, a critical flaw in PHP recently forced numerous websites offline, demonstrating the systemic dangers posed by shared code that powers over 70 percent of daily web traffic. Organizations are urged to prepare by establishing clear isolation criteria and conducting forensic recovery planning before incidents occur. Testing these contingency plans ensures essential business functions continue even when underlying technical systems fail.
Key points
A complete global internet shutdown remains improbable due to resilient, alternative rout…: A complete global internet shutdown remains improbable due to resilient, alternative routing built into the network's decentralized architecture.
Shared digital dependencies mean localized failures can still sever access to specific se…: Shared digital dependencies mean localized failures can still sever access to specific services like banking apps and healthcare processing.
Organizations must regularly test incident response strategies and system isolation crite…: Organizations must regularly test incident response strategies and system isolation criteria to prevent security vulnerabilities from turning into disasters.
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In the wrong hands, AI tools can threaten the underlying systems the internet relies on, outpacing many organisations’ capability to patch them, says an academic.
SYDNEY: For many, the internet is feeling less secure these days, thanks to generative artificial intelligence tools making it easier than ever to exploit hidden security flaws.
Last week’s PHP incident is a great example. PHP is one of the main technologies that run in the background, supporting more than 70 per cent of the websites we use every day. A critical vulnerability prompted many organisations to take their websites offline to secure them.
There are warnings of rapidly evolving cyber threats. The Australian national cybersecurity agency issued more than 4,400 notifications about potentially malicious cyber activity in 2025 to 26, almost 80 per cent more than the previous year.
In the wrong hands, AI tools can threaten the underlying systems the internet relies on, outpacing many organisations’ capability to patch them.
With all this on the horizon, it’s reasonable to ask: Could failures similar to the PHP issue become widespread? Worse, could the internet…
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