SLCERT probes potential impact of global IT outage on 40 Govt. systems

The Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SL CERT) has initiated an investigation into 40 Government information systems in order to determine if they have been compromised by the mass global IT outage in software provided by a leading US-based cyber security firm.

Sri Lanka CERT Senior Information Engineer Charuka Damunupola confirmed that reports have been called to ascertain whether the relevant Government information systems operate using Microsoft applications, which have been affected by the massive outage took place.

Damunupola stated that initial findings indicate four private institutions in Sri Lanka have been impacted, while unofficial reports suggest that two Sri Lankan banks are among the affected entities.

He asserted that a rigorous investigation is underway to assess the full scope of the impact.

CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm with thousands of customers globally, admitted on Friday (19) that a defective software update had caused the major IT outage that is bringing airports, banks, hospitals, media outlets, and businesses to a halt worldwide.