Crowdstrike: Beware of global cyber scammers, say official agencies

TLDR:

• Cyber agencies warn of scammers taking advantage of CrowdStrike IT outage
• Misinformation and fake websites posing as official sources spreading

Cyber-security experts and agencies globally have issued warnings about a surge in opportunistic hacking attempts following the CrowdStrike IT outage. While there is no evidence of malicious activity causing the outage, bad actors are exploiting the situation by sending fake emails, calls, and websites pretending to be official sources. CrowdStrike head George Kurtz advises users to verify the authenticity of communications and downloads from the company. Australian Signals Directorate and UK’s National Cyber Security Centre caution against falling for phishing emails or calls claiming to be from CrowdStrike or Microsoft, emphasizing the importance of getting information only from official channels. The increase in CrowdStrike-themed domain registrations indicates a rise in attempts to deceive IT managers and individuals into downloading malware or sharing sensitive information.