PHP flaws prompt 12-hour shutdown of digital land services server

The Ministry of Land has announced maintenance work to improve the security of its system, following the detection of security vulnerabilities in PHP.

To this end, the ministry has kept the digital land services (land.gov.bd) server shut down for 12 consecutive hours, from midnight tonight (Friday) until noon tomorrow (Saturday).

No land-related services will be available during this period, according to a press release issued by the ministry.

The notice said the security upgrade would be carried out following an urgent cyber alert issued on 22 October by BGD e-GOV CIRT, the government agency responsible for cybersecurity.

Digital land services include mutation, payment of land development tax, collection of land records and mouza maps, land acquisition and requisition, leasing and settlement, land revenue cases, and the land information bank.

The platform also offers a calculator to determine land inheritance, land-related laws and regulations, various forms, and service guidelines.

In the press release, the ministry requested everyone not to make any payments for land services after 11:45pm on Thursday. Apologising for the temporary inconvenience, it sought everyone's cooperation in successfully completing the maintenance work.

Recently, two serious security vulnerabilities were identified in PHP, a widely used programming language for developing and operating websites.

The vulnerabilities have raised concerns about the security of websites operated by various government and commercial organisations around the world.

In response, different organisations have taken initiatives to assess and update the security of their systems.

BGD e-GOV CIRT, the government agency responsible for overseeing cybersecurity-related issues, has also issued an alert about the PHP vulnerabilities.

According to the agency's recommendations, relevant organisations must identify where PHP is being used on their servers.

They must also check whether the versions in use are vulnerable and take necessary security measures.

Earlier, the shutdown of Bangladesh Bank's server in response to the same security vulnerabilities also came to light.

This time, an initiative has been taken to update security by shutting down the digital land services server.