A software update by CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company, caused computer system disruptions globally overnight including at a few Washington state agencies. Most state IT systems were not impacted.
CrowdStrike said the issue with the update has been identified and a fix has been sent to customers. This is a software issue and is not related to a cyberattack. State agencies in Washington are using the new software fix provided by CrowdStrike and restoring impacted computer systems.
The Employment Security Department and Washington Secretary of State’s Office are posting updates on their websites.
The U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) says it has observed threat actors taking advantage of this incident for phishing and other malicious activity. CISA is urging organizations and individuals to remain vigilant and only follow instructions from legitimate sources. CISA recommends organizations to remind their employees to avoid clicking on phishing emails or suspicious links.