Sydney, Australia – Global cyber security institutions are sounding the alarm about the rise of malicious websites offering to fix technical issues following one of the most extensive IT outages in the world that is continuing to cause disruptions. The United States, United Kingdom, and Australia have all issued separate warnings over the weekend regarding an increase in phishing attempts that are exploiting the aftermath of the unprecedented IT outage triggered by a faulty software update from CrowdStrike.
Airlines and healthcare sectors are among those still facing challenges in the wake of the incident. The Australian Cyber Security Centre, a government agency, stated that numerous malicious websites and unofficial code are being circulated, claiming to aid organizations in recovering from the widespread outages caused by the CrowdStrike technical mishap. Meanwhile, the US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency pointed out that hackers are taking advantage of the outage to engage in malicious activities, including the distribution of harmful files targeted at CrowdStrike users in Latin America.
CrowdStrike, the cyber security company responsible for the problematic software patch that affected approximately 8.5 million Microsoft PCs and servers, advised organizations to ensure that they are communicating with the company through official channels. The Texas-based firm confirmed that a fix has been issued for the defect, with a significant number of affected devices now back online and operational.
Despite this progress, industries such as global travel and healthcare are expected to continue feeling the impact into the following week and potentially beyond. The aviation sector worldwide is gradually returning to normalcy, with some airlines still working to recover operations. In the US, hundreds of cancellations and delays were reported on Sunday, although the numbers were lower compared to Friday.
Furthermore, healthcare services are also expected to face lingering challenges following the outage, which resulted in disrupted appointment bookings, inaccessible patient records, and delayed prescriptions. The British Medical Association cautioned about a significant backlog of patients due to the temporary loss of medical records, urging NHS England to provide time for surgeries to resume normal service even after resolving all IT issues. In the midst of these challenges, organizations and individuals are advised to remain vigilant against potential cyber threats.