Websites have been taken down worldwide after critical weaknesses were revealed in a programming language which powers much of the internet. Governments and agencies are urging websites to address the problem immediately.

The vulnerabilities were found within the PHP programming language. The flaws were discovered by AI, with cyber-security experts saying were the most severe vulnerabilities ever discovered by the technology, which is reshaping the cyber-security landscape.

The US National Security Agency issued a warning for organisations to take their systems offline if they are unable to immediately apply a fix, which has now been issued. The governments of France and Finland were among those ordering shut down of some web services, along with many private organisations around the world. Japan’s prime minister urged people to check if their publicly-accessible websites ran on PHP.

The vulnerabilities were discovered by cyber-security researchers at the firms Calif and Wiz and were part of a program started by the internet firm OpenAI, called Patch the Planet. They discovered the issue after being given access to the AI company’s advanced AI tools, in order to find and fix flaws in web development language.

OpenAi said the discovery was “one of the most impactful security issues in recent memory”. The flaws had gone undetected for more than a decade. It’s estimated that around 70% of the internet could be vulnerable to the threat.

It had been intended to release details of the issue later this month along with a fix, or software patch, for the problem. However details of the flaw were leaked on social media, forcing PHP Foundation, the organisation that supports use of the programming language, to rush out an announcement of the vulnerability and its huge scale.

Jane Hill presents BBC News at Ten reporting by cyber security correspondent Joe Tidy.

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A solicitor has been secretly filmed by the BBC explaining how he could make a £45,000 illegal working fine go away.

Mohammad Alias Yousaf – also known as Alias – made the claim to an undercover reporter, who was posing as a mini-mart owner facing a fine for employing an illegal worker.

The Bradford-based solicitor told his potential client he could avoid paying the fine if our undercover reporter could find someone overseas prepared to declare themselves the owner of the mini-mart.

Alias has denied ever providing such advice to anyone or giving false information to the Home Office.

At least £150m is currently owed to the government in uncollected illegal working fines, according to Home Office figures obtained by the BBC.

In response to our investigation, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a review of the way illegal working fines are issued and collected.

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In her first broadcast interview since a new book of her life, ‘Is it too late to make a run for it?’, has hit shelves, Dame Judi Dench invited Emma Barnett from Radio 4’s Today programme to her home.

The book is written with her close friend and fellow actor Brendan O’Hea, who sat alongside Dame Judi for a special conversation about her acting, the realities of ageing and some Shakespeare thrown in for good measure.

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