Global Tech Outage Sees Rise in Phishing Schemes, Officials Warn

As the world recovers from disruptions caused by a faulty software update from CrowdStrike, malicious actors are exploiting the situation. Government cybersecurity agencies and CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz are warning about new phishing schemes. These schemes involve malicious actors posing as CrowdStrike employees or tech specialists offering help.

"We know that adversaries and bad actors will try to exploit events like this," Kurtz said in a statement. "I encourage everyone to remain vigilant and ensure that you're engaging with official CrowdStrike representatives." The UK Cyber Security Centre has noticed an increase in phishing attempts related to this event.

Impact on Air Travel

By late morning on the US East Coast, airlines worldwide had cancelled over 1,500 flights, significantly fewer than the 5,100-plus cancellations on Friday. According to FlightAware, two-thirds of Saturday's cancelled flights were in the United States. US carriers cancelled about 3.5 per cent of their scheduled flights for Saturday, according to Cirium.

Robert Mann, a former airline executive and now a consultant in New York, said it was unclear why US airlines faced more cancellations. Possible reasons include greater outsourcing of technology and more exposure to Microsoft operating systems affected by the faulty CrowdStrike update.

Healthcare Systems Response

Healthcare systems affected by the outage faced clinic closures, cancelled surgeries, and restricted access to patient records. Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles reported "steady progress" in bringing its servers back online and thanked patients for their flexibility during the crisis.

"Our teams will be working actively through the weekend as we continue to resolve remaining issues in preparation for the start of the work week," the hospital stated. In Austria, a leading doctors' organisation highlighted the vulnerability of relying on digital systems and called for high standards in patient data protection and security.

Harald Mayer, vice president of the Austrian Chamber of Doctors, said hospitals need analog backups to protect patient care. "Happily, where there were problems, these were kept small and short-lived and many areas of care were unaffected" in Austria, Mayer noted.

Extent of Device Impact

Microsoft reported that 8.5 million devices running its Windows operating system were affected by the faulty cybersecurity update on Friday. This represents less than 1 per cent of all Windows-based machines globally. David Weston, a Microsoft cybersecurity executive, mentioned that such significant disturbances are rare but highlight the interconnected nature of their ecosystem.

The Schleswig-Holstein University Hospital in northern Germany had cancelled all elective procedures on Friday but announced that systems were gradually being restored. Elective surgeries could resume by Monday.

The impact varied across countries; Australia was hit hardest with higher cancellation rates compared to other major air-travel markets like the UK, France, Brazil, Canada, Italy, and India.

This incident underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures and preparedness for unexpected disruptions across various sectors including travel and healthcare.