Vulnerability response debate questions PHP2Shell panic

The author argues that while AI may lower the cost and barrier of creating exploits for vulnerabilities like the recent PHP2Shell incident, raw vulnerability counts and doomsday rhetoric exaggerate the actual risk organizations face. Instead of focusing solely on the speed of vulnerability discovery and patching, the industry must focus on making software maintainable, upgradeable, and resilient over long lifespans. Analysis of historical enterprise software lifecycles shows that while organizations rapidly address major crises, the oldest and most outdated software remains largely unpatched and sticky. Open article →