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Brett Solomon is retiring from AccessNow after fifteen years as its Executive Director. He’s written a blog post about what he’s learned and what comes next.

Recently, a significant global outage resulted in thousands of Windows computers being brought offline. The source of the outage was linked to a faulty CrowdStrike security update.McAfee has observed opportunistic scammers exploiting the current outage, which has disrupted essential systems across industries including banking, airlines, emergency services, and more, as well as consumers trying to access their Windows devices. Given the global impact of this outage, consumers are urged to remain highly vigilant to protect their personal information and ensure their data remains secure.  

Affected Sectors and Services 

 The outage has severely impacted numerous high-profile services: 

Banking: Major Australian banks faced disruptions, affecting transactions and customer access. 

Airlines: Carriers such as Ryanair, along with Delta, United, and American Airlines reported significant operational delays. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also noted disruptions in airline operations. 

Broadcasting: TV broadcasters in Australia and the UK broadcaster Sky News experienced interruptions in their services. 

Emergency Services: In Alaska, several 911 emergency call centers reported difficulties, potentially affecting response times to emergencies. 

Travel: Airports are among the transportation hubs experiencing delays, affecting thousands of flights and countless travelers. 

The Ripple Effect of the Outage 

The outage has been far-reaching, affecting everything from the London Stock Exchange to everyday consumers facing the dreaded blue screen on their Windows devices. With Microsoft systems constituting about 70% of desktop operating systems worldwide, the effects of this outage are extensive, influencing many millions of people across the globe. 

The Rise of Opportunistic Scams 

Amidst this chaos, opportunistic scammers are capitalizing on the situation. McAfee has already seen scams, where fraudsters are exploiting the current vulnerabilities to deceive consumers. These scams range from phishing attacks related to flight rescheduling, to cybercrooks posing as banks to steal login information, and even retailers requesting alternate payment methods. 

 

 

How to Protect Yourself 

Given the current scenario, it is crucial for consumers to remain vigilant and protect their personal information. Here are some essential tips to keep in mind: 

• Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Communications: Always be skeptical of unsolicited messages that ask for personal information or urge you to act quickly. Avoid clicking on suspicious links and directly verify any requests for personal information or payments. 

• Avoid Unconventional Money Transfers: Be cautious if asked to wire money, use cryptocurrency, or buy gift cards and share the card numbers and PINs. These are often signs of a scam. 

• Monitor your accounts: Regularly check your bank and other sensitive accounts for any unauthorized transactions or alerts. Report any suspicious activity immediately. 

• Verify the Source: If you receive a suspicious call or message, verify the caller’s identity. Be aware of tools like voice cloning and number spoofing that make calls appear legitimate. If in doubt, hang up and contact the entity directly. 

• Use AI-Powered Scam Protection: Employ AI tools, such as McAfee Scam Protection that can block dangerous links in emails, text messages, social media, or web browsers to enhance your online security. 

• Secure Your Information: Use strong, unique passwords for all your accounts and consider a password manager. Enable multi-factor authentication to increase security. 

• Report Suspicious Activity: If you suspect a cyber-attack, such as voice cloning, report it immediately to authorities like the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 

The recent global outage affecting Windows systems has had a profound impact across multiple sectors, disrupting essential services and exposing vulnerabilities that opportunistic scammers are keen to exploit. As the digital landscape becomes increasingly interconnected, the importance of maintaining rigorous cybersecurity measures cannot be overstated. Consumers and organizations alike must stay vigilant, enhance their security protocols, and remain proactive in safeguarding their personal and operational data against such threats. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the cascading effects that a single point of failure can have in our globally networked environment. 

The post CrowdStrike Outage Provides Opportunities for Scammers  appeared first on McAfee Blog.

A faulty software update from cybersecurity vendor Crowdstrike crippled countless Microsoft Windows computers across the globe today, disrupting everything from airline travel and financial institutions to hospitals and businesses online. Crowdstrike said a fix has been deployed, but experts say the recovery from this outage could take some time, as Crowdstrike’s solution needs to be applied manually on a per-machine basis.

Earlier today, an errant update shipped by Crowdstrike began causing Windows machines running the software to display the dreaded “Blue Screen of Death,” rendering those systems temporarily unusable. Like most security software, Crowdstrike requires deep hooks into the Windows operating system to fend off digital intruders, and in that environment a tiny coding error can quickly lead to catastrophic outcomes.

In a post on Twitter/X, Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz said an update to correct the coding mistake has been shipped, and that Mac and Linux systems are not affected.

“This is not a security incident or cyberattack,” Kurtz said on Twitter, echoing a written statement by Crowdstrike. “The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.”

Posting to Twitter/X, the director of Crowdstrike’s threat hunting operations said the fix involves booting Windows into Safe Mode or the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE), deleting the file “C-00000291*.sys” and then restarting the machine.

The software snafu may have been compounded by a recent series of outages involving Microsoft’s Azure cloud services, The New York Times reports, although it remains unclear whether those Azure problems are at all related to the bad Crowdstrike update. Update, 4:03 p.m. ET: Microsoft reports the Azure problems today were unrelated to the bad Crowdstrike update.

Matt Burgess at Wired writes that within health care and emergency services, various medical providers around the world have reported issues with their Windows-linked systems, sharing news on social media or their own websites.

“The US Emergency Alert System, which issues hurricane warnings, said that there had been various 911 outages in a number of states,” Burgess wrote. “Germany’s University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein said it was canceling some nonurgent surgeries at two locations. In Israel, more than a dozen hospitals have been impacted, as well as pharmacies, with reports saying ambulances have been rerouted to nonimpacted medical organizations.”

In the United Kingdom, NHS England has confirmed that appointment and patient record systems have been impacted by the outages.

“One hospital has declared a ‘critical’ incident after a third-party IT system it used was impacted,” Wired reports. “Also in the country, train operators have said there are delays across the network, with multiple companies being impacted.”

Reactions to today’s outage were swift and brutal on social media, which was flooded with images of people at airports surrounded by computer screens displaying the Microsoft blue screen error. Many Twitter/X users chided the Crowdstrike CEO for failing to apologize for the massively disruptive event, while others noted that doing so could expose the company to lawsuits.

Meanwhile, the international Windows outage quickly became the most talked-about subject on Twitter/X, whose artificial intelligence bots collated a series of parody posts from cybersecurity professionals pretending to be on their first week of work at Crowdstrike. Incredibly,Twitter/X’s AI summarized these sarcastic posts into a sunny, can-do story about Crowdstrike that was promoted as the top discussion on Twitter this morning.

“Several individuals have recently started working at the cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike and have expressed their excitement and pride in their new roles,” the AI summary read. “They have shared their experiences of pushing code to production on their first day and are looking forward to positive outcomes in their work.”

This is an evolving story. Stay tuned for updates.

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