MyAnimeList and AniList temporarily shut down due to a PHP vulnerability

If you went to log the last episode you watched today and found the door closed, it's not just you: MyAnimeList and AniList are out of service this October 21. And no, they haven't been hacked (at least, nobody has said so). They've been taken down on purpose and as a precaution, while they check their servers over a serious PHP vulnerability, the language much of the internet runs on.

AniList was the first to speak up. At 12:43 UTC it announced on Bluesky that it was going to shut down the website and the API "until a fix is confirmed" on their end. It apologized for the short notice and admitted it has no return date, though it hopes to be back online sometime today.

MyAnimeList followed shortly after with its own maintenance page: it explains that it entered that mode "as a precautionary measure" while its team assesses a potential security risk and applies the necessary updates, and promises to be back "as soon as possible."

What happened with PHP

The PHP Foundation gave advance notice that this Wednesday at 14:00 UTC it would release a security update for two critical vulnerabilities, rated 9.2 out of 10 on the CVSS scale. And it asked everyone using PHP to prepare to update.

According to Patchstack, the two flaws allow code execution on a server without needing to log in, which is pretty much the worst possible scenario. The patched versions are already available (8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36, and 8.2.35), which is why many sites have preferred to pull down the shutters for a few hours rather than risk it.

What it means for you

While the shutdown lasts you can't access either site or update your lists. AniList's API is also down, so the apps and Discord bots that rely on it have gone just as quiet.

The good news: neither site has reported any user data being leaked. It's a preventive shutdown, and your lists are still there waiting for you.

Meanwhile, your list on DonOtaku

If you don't want to lose track of what you're watching, you can also keep your anime and manga list on DonOtaku: mark what you're watching, what you've finished, and what you have pending, and rate each title from My list.

And when MyAnimeList and AniList come back, you can bring over your entire list from Preferences → Import: connect your account, review what's going to be added, and choose what comes in. That way, the next time they go down, your lists don't go down with them.