Report: The Free Library of Philadelphia’s Online Catalog Was Taken Down For Security. A New One is Coming This Week

From The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Library staff removed the catalog on Oct. 23 as a precaution after vulnerabilities were found in an open-source programming language, PHP, which is used on roughly 70% of websites across the world.

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The Free Library did not see signs of any security breaches on its own servers, but decided to take down the catalog based upon vulnerabilities reported in other regions and the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Information and Technology standards, according to Free Library spokesperson Mark Graham.

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“We apologize for any inconvenience to patrons since we realize [the catalog] is a valuable resource and used by many. The security of our patrons, staff, and community is a high priority for the Free Library. So is high-quality customer service, which is why the down time is as short as possible, and library staff… can handle any questions about finding materials or holds in person or on the phone,” Graham said by email.

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