Australia Warns of Fake Recovery Tools Following Global Digital Outage

Australia's cyber intelligence agency has warned against 'malicious websites and unofficial code' being released online claiming to help recover from Friday's global digital outage. The outage, caused by a failed CrowdStrike software update, affected many countries. Consumers are urged to use official CrowdStrike sources for updates and be cautious of scams.

Australia's cyber intelligence agency issued a warning on Saturday about 'malicious websites and unofficial code' being released online that claim to aid recovery from Friday's global digital outage. This outage affected media, retailers, banks, and airlines around the world.

Australia was among the countries hit by the outage triggered by a botched software update from CrowdStrike. The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) emphasized that numerous malicious entities are exploiting the situation by releasing fake recovery help.

On its official website, the cyber security centre urged all consumers to source their technical information and updates directly from official CrowdStrike channels. Cyber Security Minister Clare O'Neil cautioned Australians on social media platform X, advising vigilance against potential scams and phishing attempts.

The outage had significant impacts, including disruptions at Commonwealth Bank of Australia where PayID payments were temporarily blocked. National airline Qantas and Sydney airport also faced delays, though flights continued. However, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese assured that critical infrastructure, government services, and emergency phone systems remained unaffected.

CrowdStrike, a prominent cybersecurity provider with a market cap of approximately $83 billion, supports around 30,000 subscribers globally.

(With inputs from agencies.)