Beware cybercriminals exploiting global tech outage; warnings are mounting

TLDR:

• Cybercriminals are exploiting the global tech outage caused by a faulty software update by CrowdStrike.
• The outage has prompted phishing attempts and malicious activities targeting CrowdStrike customers.

Warnings have been issued by various agencies and companies: The impact of the global tech outage caused by a faulty software update by CrowdStrike on Friday has led to growing concerns online about cybercriminals taking advantage of the situation. Although operations at European airports returned to normal by Saturday, criminals were already attempting to exploit the situation by releasing malicious websites and unofficial code claiming to help entities recover. Both the Australian agency responsible for cybersecurity and CrowdStrike issued warnings to only obtain technical information and updates from official sources to avoid falling victim to phishing attempts and cybersecurity threats.

Phishing attempts and malicious activities: The U.K.’s National Cyber Security Center warned on Friday that malicious actors were looking to take advantage of the tech outage, which has been increasingly referenced in phishing attempts. Microsoft reported that approximately 8.5 million Windows devices were affected by the outage, highlighting the broad economic and societal impacts of the incident. CrowdStrike also warned about phishing attempts in a separate blog post, mentioning that cybercriminals had already impersonated CrowdStrike support teams. It is crucial for individuals and organizations to remain vigilant and only trust official sources for information during this period of heightened cybersecurity risk.

Impact on airports and services: European airports and U.K. airports and train operators were heavily impacted by the outage, causing disruptions to flights and services. While operations have returned to normal for the most part, airports had to manage a backlog of passengers whose flights were canceled on Friday. The port of Dover in the U.K. reported seeing hundreds of displaced airport passengers arriving on Saturday morning, highlighting the ripple effects of the tech outage on transportation services.