Following warnings about security vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language, websites of multiple government and financial institutions in Bangladesh remain offline.
Alongside Bangladesh Bank and six commercial banks, the websites of BG Press, Banbeis, Petrobangla, and the Digital Land Service are also down.
As a precautionary measure to avert potential cyber attacks and ensure the security of their technology infrastructure, the authorities have taken these sites offline.
The websites were found inaccessible between 11:00 AM and 11:30 AM on Saturday (October 24). Bangladesh Bank has kept its website closed since Thursday. After the central bank’s move, several other banks also took down their sites as a precaution.
The banks whose websites are offline are: Agrani Bank, Janata Bank, IFIC Bank, Standard Islamic Bank, SBAC Bank, and Bengal Commercial Bank. Officials from the banks said the decision was taken to address possible cyber risks and to verify the security of their technology infrastructure. The websites will be restored once the necessary checks and security measures are completed.
Land Service Website Also Closed
In light of the PHP security flaw, the Ministry of Land has temporarily shut down the Digital Land Service website and is carrying out maintenance. According to the ministry’s announcement, the work was scheduled to run for 36 hours—from midnight on Thursday to noon on Saturday.
During this period, land services cannot be accessed through the land.gov.bd website.
BGD e-Gov CERT Issued Warning
On October 22, the government’s cyber security agency, BGD e-Gov CERT, issued an emergency advisory about PHP security vulnerabilities. It asked institutions to check whether PHP is running on their servers, determine whether the versions in use are vulnerable, and take necessary security measures.
Why PHP Security Matters
PHP is a widely used programming language for building websites and web applications. Security flaws in the language can be exploited to put related software or servers at risk. As a result, various organizations are reviewing the security of their websites and technology infrastructure and have temporarily suspended services to avoid potential threats.