SYDNEY, Australia, July 21: Australia’s cyber intelligence agency, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), issued a warning on Saturday about “malicious websites and unofficial code” being distributed online in the wake of Friday’s global digital outage. The outage, which disrupted media, retailers, banks, and airlines worldwide, was attributed to a problematic software update from the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.

The ASD advised the public to obtain technical information and updates exclusively from official CrowdStrike sources. The agency’s cyber security centre emphasized the importance of relying on legitimate channels to avoid falling victim to potential scams or phishing attempts.

Cyber Security Minister Clare O'Neil took to social media, urging Australians to remain vigilant against fraudulent schemes and phishing efforts that may exploit the ongoing situation.

The digital disruption had significant effects in Australia. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), the nation's largest bank, experienced issues with PayID payments, though these problems were later resolved. Qantas, the national airline, reported flight delays, but operations continued, and Sydney Airport experienced similar delays.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reassured the public late Friday, stating that the outage did not impact critical infrastructure, government services, or emergency phone systems.

CrowdStrike, a major player in the cybersecurity industry with a market cap previously reaching around $83 billion, serves nearly 30,000 subscribers globally. The company has been at the center of the investigation into the software update that triggered the widespread outage.