Don't fall for quick fixes: How Microsoft's global IT outage gave rise to scams – Firstpost

Cybersecurity experts and agencies worldwide are cautioning people about a surge in opportunistic hacking attempts related to the recent IT outage. While there is no evidence that the outage was caused by malicious activity, some bad actors are attempting to exploit the situation United Airlines employees wait by a departures monitor displaying a blue error screen, also known as the “Blue Screen of Death” inside Terminal C in Newark International Airport, after United Airlines and other airlines grounded flights due to a worldwide tech outage caused by an update to CrowdStrike's "Falcon Sensor" software which crashed Microsoft Windows systems, in Newark, New Jersey, US, July 19, 2024. David Weston, a Microsoft cybersecurity executive, commented on the unusual nature of such a significant disturbance, stating, “Such a significant disturbance is rare but demonstrates the interconnected nature of our broad ecosystem.” Meanwhile, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz highlighted the urgency of addressing the outage and warned of potential exploitation by malicious actors: “We know that adversaries and bad actors will try to exploit events like this. A technician works on an information display near United Airlines gates at Chicago O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update caused a major internet outage for computers running Microsoft Windows. Passengers wait at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, after airlines grounded flights due to a worldwide tech outage caused by an update to CrowdStrike’s “Falcon Sensor” software which crashed Microsoft Windows systems, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, July 19, 2024.