The Internet Is Under Attack. What Should You Actually Do?

The worst 48 hours in cybersecurity history.

“Black October” had already seen a rash of attacks. Hackers exposed patient records at Quest Diagnostics and data on millions of California public school students. They even overheated refrigerators in French grocery stores.

Then last Wednesday, details leaked about two bugs in PHP, the software behind 70% of the internet’s websites. The bugs can let anyone take over a website’s server without a password.

Within hours, hacking attempts surged into the millions. Governments across Europe shut down websites, and the NSA urged organizations to take systems offline if they couldn’t be patched immediately. The UK government told Britons to stockpile food and water for cyberattacks and other emergencies.

Between Y2K and data breaches at Target and Equifax, we’ve become accustomed to cyber scares. Some fade away, but others are painful. In July 2024, a faulty CrowdStrike update crashed Windows computers and canceled summer vacation flights across America.

Should we keep calm and carry on, or stock up on beef jerky and canned green beans?

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