Sapporo suspends city website as precaution after PHP vulnerability found
In short
Sapporo city temporarily suspended its official website on 21 October as a preventive step after a vulnerability was found in the programming language PHP. The city said no unauthorized access or personal data leak had been confirmed, and it has no date for restoring the site.
Read the full story 1 min read
Sapporo city said on 21 October that it had temporarily suspended its official website as a preventive step after a vulnerability was found in the programming language PHP, according to Mainichi Shimbun. Nikkei's headline also described the suspension as a precautionary measure over the PHP vulnerability. Nippon TV and TBS said the suspension began on the night of 21 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The city said the aim was to prevent unauthorized access and similar attacks from outside. As of 23:30 on 21 October, it had confirmed no unauthorized access to its servers and no leak of personal information, Mainichi reported. Nippon TV and TBS likewise reported that the city had confirmed no such damage so far. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Nippon TV reported that the PHP development team said on 21 October that it had found two serious flaws that could lead to unauthorized operation from outside. The team released a fix and asked users to update quickly. Nippon TV said PHP is used by about 70 percent of websites worldwide, and that the details and cause of the flaws have not been made clear. TBS also reported that the developer had announced the vulnerability and asked for the fix released on the night of 21 October to be applied. [ 3 , 4 ]
Mainichi reported that the fix has already been published, but the city must check whether it can be applied, so it has no prospect of restoring the site at present. Emergency information during the suspension will be sent through the city's official social media accounts. Nippon TV reported that the city's site showed a simple page saying emergency maintenance was under way, and that the city will reopen it once safety is confirmed. TBS reported that the city is working to make the site viewable again as soon as safety is confirmed. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The suspension shows a flaw in a widely used programming language leading a city to take its public website offline. The documents give no sign of damage so far, and say emergency information is being sent through the city's social media accounts.
Key facts
- Sapporo city temporarily suspended its official website, citing a vulnerability found in the programming language PHP. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The city described the suspension as a preventive measure against unauthorized access from outside. [ 1 , 3 ]
- As of 23:30 on 21 October, the city had confirmed no unauthorized access to its servers and no personal data leak. [ 1 ]
- The PHP development team said on 21 October that it had found two serious flaws and released a fix, urging quick updates. [ 3 ]
- The city said it has no prospect of restoring the site yet, because it must check whether the fix can be applied. [ 1 ]
- Emergency information during the suspension is being sent through the city's official social media accounts. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- When the website will be restored. The city said it has no prospect of restoration for now; other outlets say only that it will reopen once safety is confirmed.
- The cause and detailed circumstances of the PHP flaws. Nippon TV reported that the details and the cause of the flaws have not been made clear.
- Whether the fix can be applied to the city's systems. Mainichi reported that the city still needs to check this.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The city said it had confirmed no unauthorized access to its servers or personal data leak as of this time on 21 October. [ 1 ]
- Mainichi published its report on the suspension. [ 1 ]
- Nippon TV reported that the city's site showed a simple page saying emergency maintenance was under way. [ 3 ]
- TBS reported the site remained suspended while the city worked to confirm safety. [ 4 ]