"Black October": A Week of Major Cyber Security Alerts
In the last days of October 2026, several serious cyber security incidents came to light around the world. On social media, people are calling it "Black October." However, there is no evidence that all these incidents are part of a single attack.
1. Two serious flaws in PHP
PHP is a programming language that powers a large number of websites. On 21 October, the PHP team released security updates for two critical flaws that could let attackers run their own code on some vulnerable servers without logging in. Cyber security agencies in several countries advised organisations to update immediately. According to Cloudflare, attempts to exploit the flaws rose sharply, but early reports did not confirm large-scale successful attacks.
2. Weak keys in Indian firm eMudhra's certificates
Cryptographic keys linked to eight intermediate certificates of eMudhra, an Indian digital certificate company, were found to be weak. The company says this was caused by a technical error during key generation on 30 April 2025. Google and Mozilla blocked the affected certificates, and eMudhra revoked them. The company says its Indian Digital Signature Certificate and eSign services were not affected. MeitY has formed a special team to investigate and said the impact on Indian websites and apps was limited.
3. Malicious code inside an AI software update
Version 1.107.0 of LiteLLM, software that connects AI models to apps, was released on 21 October with malicious code that could steal login credentials and sensitive data. The company has removed the affected release. This is known as a "supply chain attack": hackers target a trusted software update instead of attacking users directly.
4. Railway cloud platform and SBI
Cloud platform Railway said an unauthorised person may have accessed systems storing customers' secret settings, such as API keys and database passwords, and advised customers to change them. Meanwhile, there are reports of a cyber attack on SBI and theft of customer data. Figures on the number of affected records differ, so please wait for official information from the bank.
5. Microsoft: AI is speeding up hacking
Microsoft said a China-linked hacking group it tracks as Storm-0940 has used an AI-based tool to target hundreds of organisations worldwide since September 2026. Most attempts failed, but in some cases the attackers gained high-level access in under three hours.
What should you do?
- Keep your phone, browser and apps updated.
- Do not click on unknown links.
- Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible.
- Never share your OTP, PIN or password on calls or messages claiming to be from your bank.
- If a company asks you to change your password, do it only through its official website or app.
No need to panic, but stay alert.
Source: Media reports
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