Sri Lanka probe 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.

Senior Information Engineer of Sri Lanka CERT 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.

Furthermore, Mr. 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.

Speaking to Ada Derana, 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.

Reports of outages began streaming in from around the globe early on Friday, with broadcaster Sky News in the UK forced off the air for several hours.

However, the CEO of CrowdStrike told CNN news agency that the IT issue causing a global outage has been identified and that a fix has been deployed.

CrowdStrike has advised customers to refer to its support portal for updates, and for organisations who use its services to continue communicating with CrowdStrike representatives “through official channels”.

Earlier today, SriLankan Airlines announced that its internet booking services have been fully restored as of 08:30 GMT (02.00 pm local time), following a global outage of third-party service providers that affected the airline’s online booking services. 

“We understand that this may have impacted the experience of some of our passengers, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused,” the airline said in a brief statement. 

Passengers are instructed to contact the Global Contact Centre at +94 19733 1979 for any further assistance with existing or new bookings, it added.