AICC Advises On Cybersecurity Readiness
According to AICC, hackers could steal business or customer information, change or delete website content, disrupt operations, or use the website server to reach oth- er connected systems. AICC advises members who have not already done so to contact their website provider, developer, or IT team to address the following questions: • Does the company's website, online store, customer or vendor portals, or any equipment with a web admin page use PHP? • If so, have the October 21 PHP security updates been installed? • If a system cannot be updated immediately, what pro- tections are in place in the meantime? • How quickly are critical updates installed, and who is monitoring for an attack in the meantime? • Have there been any signs of a break-in since October
AICC has alerted members to a serious website security issue that requires immediate attention. The following in- formation has been vetted by AICC's Innovation and Tech- nology Committee. Hackers are already exploiting two critical security flaws in PHP, software that runs behind the scenes on millions of websites throughout North America, including those built with WordPress. On October 26, the U.S. Cy- bersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) con- firmed that the flaws were being used in real attacks. The vulnerabilities allow attackers to take control of a website server without a password. The official CISA alert is avail- able at cisa.gov .
21? Installing the update does not remove an attacker who is already in the system. Websites that do not run PHP, such as sites built entirely in Python, are not affect- ed by these flaws. Website providers can confirm which software is being used. AICC also recommends that companies using a hosting provider request written confirmation that their website is running on a patched version. If anything appears wrong, members should contact their IT provider and cyber insurance carrier im- mediately. Beyond the immediate threat, AICC rec- ommends that members review their tech- nology systems, from office and business systems to machine centers on the plant floor. Companies should determine which systems could continue running and which would stop if internet access were lost or if systems had to be disconnected during a cyberattack. Understanding these vulnerabilities can help companies develop backup plans to keep essential business and production operations running. AICC outlined two scenarios for mem- bers to consider: an internet outage, where the company's internal systems re- main healthy, but cloud-based services are inaccessible; and a cyberattack, where on- site systems could be affected. This makes clean backups and paper procedures im- portant components of a response plan. AICC encourages members to un- derstand which systems and information would remain accessible without an in- ternet connection and to establish proce- dures for maintaining operations during a disruption.
10 November 9, 2026
www.boardconvertingnews.com
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease