Global Outage Caused By Cyber Attack – Technologist

A global outage affecting widely-used digital Microsoft services such as email and gaming has been resolved, with the disruption traced back to a potential cyber attack and an insufficient defensive response. Below, we dissect what happened, who was affected and what measures need to be in place to stop businesses being affected in the future.

Who did the Cyber Attack affect?

The incident, which lasted almost 10 hours, had a global reach, affecting thousands of users. This was the second significant global outage in a short span of two weeks, following an event that impacted around 8.5 million computers worldwide. If this was a cyber attack highlights the need for all industries to take cyber security and IT support seriously. Sectors like healthcare and travel were hit hard due to a flawed software update a couple of weeks ago, showing that any industry or business can be affected, regardless of its size.

What caused the outage?

Initial investigations into the latest outage revealed that it was likely to be triggered by a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack. However, an error in implementing defensive cyber security measures amplified the impact rather than mitigating it.

What is a DDoS attack?

DDoS attacks are designed to overwhelm online services with excessive internet traffic, rendering them inaccessible. Despite the anticipated resilience of the infrastructure, the network experienced significant disruptions.

What services were affected?

The outage affected multiple services, including essential cloud computing platforms and office productivity tools, disrupting various organisations and their services. Notably, Cambridge Water, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, and NatWest Bank reported issues, highlighting the broad impact of the outage on essential services and customer-facing applications.

A requirement for stronger cyber security

While the immediate technical issues have been resolved and services have been restored, the incident underscores the critical need for robust cyber security measures. Organisations must ensure their defences are capable of withstanding increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks, with cyber criminals constantly innovating the methods they use to infiltrate data.

Continuous monitoring and timely updates are not just recommended, they are essential to maintain the integrity and availability of digital services. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the need for constant vigilance in the face of evolving cyber threats.

What have Microsoft said?

This outage occurred just before a major financial update from Microsoft, whose cloud services have been a significant profit driver. Despite recent slowdowns in demand, the company reported a notable revenue increase in its cloud unit. However, investor confidence has been shaken due to weaker-than-expected growth, highlighting the potential financial impact of such incidents.

You need Managed Cyber Security

Overall, this incident highlights the constant risks in the digital landscape and the importance of maintaining resilient and adaptable cyber security frameworks to protect against evolving cyber threats – learn more about how providers like Neuways can assist by contacting us here or viewing our Managed Cyber Security page to help strengthen your business defences, whilst protecting your data.