In this Spotlight, Assistant Editor Angelina Fay explores last week’s massive Microsoft cloud service outage, which sent shockwaves around the world, disrupting everything from flights and broadcasts to emergency services and medical procedures. Contact publishers@storyful.com today to learn how Newswire by Storyful can support your coverage of major global events.
Last week’s Microsoft cloud service outage impacted millions of devices, creating significant havoc around the world, and providing an opportunity for scammers and misinformation peddlers online.
The outage grounded flights, knocked broadcasts off the air, and even disrupted emergency services, medical procedures, and online banking.
CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company, attributed the outage to a “defect in a recent content update.” The news led to a surge in online searches for “cyberattack.”
Scams and phishing
In a blog post, CrowdStrike CEO Greg Kurtz warned of potential phishing scams, saying that “adversaries and bad actors” may impersonate company representatives, attempting to steal sensitive data by using the outage as bait.
Several types of this malicious activity were discovered as the outage continued:
- New domain registrations: Websites with names related to “CrowdStrike” emerged online. These sites may offer fake cryptocurrency, malware disguised as “fixes,” or pose as IT repair shops.
- Phishing emails: Phishing emails supposedly from CrowdStrike support or related to the outage were reported.
- Malicious downloads: Cloud-based malware analysis tools identified malicious files disguised as CrowdStrike updates. One example was a ZIP file containing malware with ‘CrowdStrike’ in its name, and another was a data wiper pretending to be an update installer.
Memes and misinformation
The outage sparked online discussions even amongst those not affected by the outage. Many users expressed surprise at the widespread impact caused by a single update bug. A flight passenger shared a photo of his hand-written boarding pass.
Memes and jokes arose in response, with one viral image showing a man claiming to be a new CrowdStrike employee (clearly Photoshopped). Another digitally altered photo shows the “blue screen of death” covering the Vegas Sphere.
The CrowdStrike outage underscores the urgent need for rigorous verification to counter the spread of misinformation, safeguard privacy, and cultivate a digital landscape where informed and constructive dialogue can flourish.
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