Pokémon HOME, Pokémon Champions, and Pokémon Sleep have been taken offline for emergency maintenance following a global cybersecurity alert involving two critical vulnerabilities in PHP, a programming language used to power websites and online services.
According to an official Pokémon Support notice, all three services are undergoing emergency maintenance. The company apologized for the disruption and said it would share updates about the maintenance progress and restoration times through its official channels. No confirmed return time was provided in the notice.
CRITICAL PHP VULNERABILITIES TRIGGER GLOBAL SECURITY CONCERNS
The disruption comes as cybersecurity agencies warn organizations about two serious PHP vulnerabilities, identified as CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619. According to the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), the flaws could allow unauthenticated attackers to execute malicious code remotely on vulnerable servers.
The vulnerabilities received critical severity ratings of 9.2 out of 10. The PHP development team released security updates on October 21, 2026, urging users to update affected installations immediately. Organizations unable to secure exposed systems promptly were advised to consider isolating them from public networks.
Players attempting to access Pokémon HOME and Pokémon Champions encountered maintenance messages, according to reports from gaming outlets. The official Pokémon Support notice confirms that Pokémon Sleep is also affected, meaning users of all three services may need to wait before accessing their usual features.
However, The Pokémon Company has not explicitly confirmed that the PHP vulnerabilities are the direct cause of the Pokémon maintenance. The timing suggests a possible connection, but the reason for the shutdown has not been officially established.
For now, players should check the official Pokémon Support page for updates. The disruption also highlights the importance of applying security patches quickly when critical flaws affect online infrastructure.
