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Gov’t moves to assist entities impacted by global tech outage

Published:Friday | July 19, 2024 | 12:59 PM
The logo for CrowdStrike and a Spirit Airlines webpage are shown on a computer screen and mobile phone screen, in New York, Friday, July 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

The Government says the Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team (JaCIRT) and the Major Organised Crime and Anti-corruption Agency (MOCA) are actively collaborating with entities across Jamaica impacted by the global outage affecting Windows-based systems utilising the CrowdStrike Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) software.

A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) says the aim is to mitigate the effects and facilitate recovery.

OPM notes that several airlines worldwide, including those operating in Jamaica, are affected by this software malfunction.

Other entities have been impacted.

According to OPM, this incident was caused by a software error and is not a security event or a cyber-attack.

It says it has been advised that Mac and Linux hosts remain unaffected by this issue.

CrowdStrike has successfully identified and isolated the issue, and a solution has been deployed.

Affected individuals or entities are advised to visit the CrowdStrike support portal for the latest updates.

Additionally, assistance can be obtained by contacting JaCIRT at 876-578-5707 or MOCA at 876-676-MOCA (6622).

The Government is urging all affected parties to exercise caution and ensure they follow official guidance as there are already malicious URLs circulating aimed at deceiving users attempting to resolve the issue independently.

“We remain committed to safeguarding our nation's IT infrastructure and ensuring a prompt return to normalcy for all affected.”

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