UPDATE 2: From the Sullivan County Sheriff: SCAM ALERT – As computer users navigate the global IT outage, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office is issuing a warning to Sullivan County residents and the public. The Sheriff’s Office is advising that there are bad actors posing as technicians for CrowdStrike and possibly other cyber security companies trying to compromise business and residential computer systems within the area. “We have a report of such an imposter showing up at a local institution and trying to download malware into their system”, said Sheriff Mike Schiff. “If anyone shows up unsolicited to fix your computer, don’t let them in. If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from a cyber security company, hang up immediately. And if you see a popup message on your computer screen that says your computer is infected with a virus, do not call the telephone number you see. You will most certainly be connected to a computer hacker overseas”, said Schiff. The Sheriff is advising anyone who encounters one of these imposters in person to get a good description, take video or a photo if possible and get a license plate number from their vehicle. Sullivan County residents are asked to remain vigilant against any potential cyber threats.
UPDATE: Due to the worldwide tech outage, the Rockland and Ferndale transfer stations in Sullivan County will not be able to accept credit/debit cards this weekend, per Sullivan County Government. They will accept cash or check. The scales will still operate; however, delays should be expected, as everything will be done by hand. All other transfer stations will be operating normally.
Millions of people worldwide are impacted by a IT outage that has affected airlines, banks and hospitals, including Sullivan County Government.
“This is a software issue and is not related to a cyber-attack or security concern,” stated Sullivan County Legislature Chair Nadia Rajsz. “Our 911 and Sheriff’s Office are fully operational, and our entire Information Technology Services (ITS) Division is diligently working to bring all systems back online. That said, many services have been disrupted, so we encourage people to call ahead before visiting any County office, even for a pre-arranged appointment.”
County offices are currently open, but services may be limited throughout the day.
“We appreciate your patience as we work to correct this issue,” said Rajsz.
New York State Chief Cyber Officer Colin Ahern said, “We are working with our agencies, local governments, and the third party service provider to resolve any issues on impacted systems. Our priority is to ensure all 911 systems across New York are operational and able to address emergency response needs. The third party has identified a fix for the underlying issue and the New York State Office of Information Technology Services is actively working with other state agencies on a resolution. We do not yet have a timeline for full restoration.
“Governor Hochul is closely monitoring impacts to critical infrastructure, including finance and transportation. We recognize the impact this is having on services, not only across New York but also globally.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says the technology outage that has impacted services around the world is affecting some commonwealth systems.
Shapiro posted the following statement on X Friday morning:
“A global IT outage has impacted some Commonwealth systems and agency business operations. There is no indication that a security incident or cyberattack has occurred.
“I’ve been briefed on the issue, and our team is closely monitoring all services that may have been affected to ensure Pennsylvanians’ needs are met.
“As we work hard to restore services as usual, be aware you may experience delays with certain Commonwealth services. We will update http://PA.gov as needed throughout the day with new information.”
What is affected by the global IT outage?
Crowdstrike, the U.S. cybersecurity company, has admitted to being responsible for the error and is working to correct it.
“Crowdstrike is aware of reports of crashes on Windows 4 related to the Falcon sensor. Please monitor the status via the tech alert on our customer support portal,” read the Crowdstrike technical help line.
Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz posted on X that the company is actively working with customers impacted, adding that Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted.
Microsoft services are also impacted.
“We’re investigating an issue impacting users ability to access various Microsoft 365 apps and services,” Microsoft said in a statement released on social media Friday morning.
Kurtz said the outages are not a “security incident or cyberattack,” and that the issue has been “identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.”