Person

Vincent Magwenya

1. Follow-up: PHP security flaws force Japan's SoftBank to pause phone disaster alerts and Japan's health ministry to halt 31 systems

   Governments and companies worldwide are still rushing to patch websites after PHP developers released fixes for critical vulnerabilities on Wednesday, Oct 21, with millions of intrusion attempts forcing some systems offline. Japan's government said on Oct 23 it will set up a team to simulate cyberattacks with AI to find weak points, and SoftBank, Japan's third-largest mobile carrier, suspended its emergency alert system for phone users, meaning no earthquake, tsunami, disaster or evacuation warnings during maintenance. NHK said Japan's health minister announced the suspension of 31 systems and websites run by the ministry and affiliated bodies, with no data leak found, and South African presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said the presidency's website was taken offline as a precaution with no sign of intrusion.

   Oct 24, 2026 Morning