22 OCTOBER 2026
PHP vulnerabilities show: Australia needs a seat at the table, not a place in the queue on AI cyber threats
The discovery of serious vulnerabilities in widely used PHP programming language is a stark warning that Australia's national security increasingly depends on access to frontier AI capabilities and early cyber security intelligence.
The Australian Council on AI Strategy (ACAIS) is calling on the Australian Government to negotiate early access to frontier AI models, including pre-release models for national security testing, to ensure Australia is never left waiting for critical warnings to trickle through from overseas.
ACAIS CEO Anna-Maria Arabia OAM said the vulnerabilities demonstrated how quickly AI was changing the cyber security landscape.
"What has changed is that frontier AI has made existing bugs exploitable within days. The good news is that AI can also give us the capability to defend against these threats, but that advantage will go to whoever is given an early warning." Ms Arabia said.
OpenAI has reported sharing information about this cyber vulnerability with US government agencies and unnamed international partners. It is unclear whether Australia was inside that circle.
"Australia needs a seat at the table, not a place in the queue," Ms Arabia said.
"Australia should be negotiating early access to frontier AI capabilities and pre-release models as part of any agreement to host frontier AI training infrastructure here. Having a stake in developing this technology is how we gain standing to negotiate security standards, incident reporting and early warning on Australia's terms.
"Five Eyes intelligence agencies warned in June that AI would transform cyber capabilities within months. We are now seeing that warning become reality.
"Australia also needs a properly resourced AI Safety Institute with access to pre-release models. Australia's commitment of approximately $7.5 million a year is inadequate."
Media contact
Gabriella White – 0466 435 468
About ACAIS
The Australian Council on AI Strategy (ACAIS) is an independent, non-partisan Australian charitable body focused on strengthening AI policy and capability and supporting robust evidence-informed decision making. We operate nationally and internationally to bridge the knowledge and institutional gaps between actors across the AI ecosystem. We serve Australia’s national interest and recognise the significant role Australia can play in advancing the global public interest.
