Following a massive IT outage that affected numerous organizations, there is now a warning about scammers and hackers taking advantage of the situation.
The incident was triggered by an error in an update for Windows hosts released by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike based in Texas. This led to widespread disruption in sectors such as travel, banking, retail, and healthcare.
In a blog post, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz cautioned about potential exploitation by adversaries and bad actors. He advised users to stay vigilant and rely on official channels for updates and support.
Subsequently, CrowdStrike reported that threat actors were trying to distribute a malicious ZIP archive named “crowdstrike-hotfix.zip” to exploit the situation. The archive contains a payload that grants attackers control of infected computers.
In a follow-up post, the company reiterated the importance of verifying communication with verified CrowdStrike representatives through official channels.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) commented on the situation, warning about cyberthreat actors using the outage to conduct malicious activities, including phishing attempts. Users should be cautious of any unexpected emails or messages urging them to download or click on links.
