# Fact: The Wikimedia Foundation took down a number of systems 'as a precautionary measu

> Research: collected from outside sources and what this site derives from them; every fact links to a saved copy of its source.

The Wikimedia Foundation took down a number of systems 'as a precautionary measure until they can be safely patched' Who says it, its status (reported), its sources, and its timeline from publication to this site.

Fact · impact · reported

# The Wikimedia Foundation took down a number of systems 'as a precautionary measure until they can be safely patched'

**Who says it:** the Foundation, as quoted by CNN and The Cyber Express · **Sources:** [CNN](../../sources/cnn-php2shell-websites-shut/index.html) [The Cyber Express](../../sources/cyberexpress-php2shell-gov-sites/index.html)

No Wikimedia-published statement captured.

## Fact-check

**A4** Corroborated●●●●○○ · Quote · verdict: **holds**

The quoted words are verbatim in The Cyber Express and, outside this claim's citations, in Newsweek (emailed statement to Newsweek) and the Reuters factbox, which each received the Foundation's statement; CNN independently carries "precautionary measure". Several independent outlets but no Wikimedia-published page, so A4; "reported" fits.

| Capture checked | Result | What it says | sha256 of the text read |
|---|---|---|---|
| [cyberexpress-php2shell-gov-sites](../../sources/cyberexpress-php2shell-gov-sites/index.html) | carries | *“We have taken down a number of other systems as a precautionary measure until they can be safely patched,” the Wikimedia Foundation said* | f45bc7599367343e |
| [cnn-php2shell-websites-shut](../../sources/cnn-php2shell-websites-shut/index.html) | partial | *and that a number of its systems had been taken down as a “precautionary measure.”* | ee49fc4265ae1c7c |
| [newsweek-php2shell-websites](../../sources/newsweek-php2shell-websites/index.html) | carries | *We have taken down a number of other systems as a precautionary measure until they can be safely patched.* | 323ccf78f4d6f2d0 |
| [reuters-factbox-websites-offline](../../sources/reuters-factbox-websites-offline/index.html) | carries | *"We have taken down a number of other systems as a precautionary measure until they can be safely patched," the foundation added.* | d562e28995b00a19 |
| insiderpaper-archive-wikipedia (in the vault, not yet on this site) | partial | *It said several systems had been taken offline as a precaution while security patches were being applied.* | dba4741ae1b287de |
| wikimediastatus-page (in the vault, not yet on this site) | absent | *All Systems Operational* | 13e068d2c2b3665d |

Open tickets: [Finding-114](../../factcheck/index.html#Finding-114), [Finding-29](../../factcheck/index.html#Finding-29).

Graded in Run-1, resting on captures up to 2026-10-22 11:30 UTC. The scale is on [the fact-check page](../../factcheck/index.html#ladder).

## This fact over time
- 2026-10-21CNN publishes [Websites shut down globally after AI finds a critical flaw affecting 70% of the internet | CNN Business](../../sources/cnn-php2shell-websites-shut/index.html)
- 2026-10-21The Cyber Express publishes [PHP2Shell CVE-2026-109618 PHP Flaw Hits Gov Sites](../../sources/cyberexpress-php2shell-gov-sites/index.html)
- 2026-10-22 11:26 UTCSaved into the evidence vault: CNN
- 2026-10-22 11:26 UTCSaved into the evidence vault: The Cyber Express
- 2026-10-22Enters this site as reported in v0.2.0 (reconstructed from git)

Published: when the source says it was published. Saved: the first capture into the evidence vault. The rest are this site: the release in which the fact first appeared and every release that changed its wording, sources or status.

## What it rests on

## Where this fact appears

In the briefings for:
AAlexCurious readerTTaylorProject or programme managerJJordanBoard member or executiveRRobinCISOQQuinnCFOMMorganData protection officerRRileyCommunications team
And on [every claim](../../claims/index.html#wikimedia-precaution).

## Every version of this fact
v1 · site v0.2.0 · 22 October 2026 · reported
```
The Wikimedia Foundation took down a number of systems 'as a precautionary measure until they can be safely patched'
Who says it: the Foundation, as quoted by CNN and The Cyber Express
Status: reported
Topic: impact
Sources: cnn-php2shell-websites-shut, cyberexpress-php2shell-gov-sites
```


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site v0.8.0 · data as of 2026-10-22T11:34Z · vault commit 200d08971937 · https://php.oct.2026.newsroom.sgit.ai/facts/wikimedia-precaution/index.html