Access to many websites is unavailable

Today, Cloudflare users reported that websites were not loading and that they were experiencing access issues. This outage occurred following a similar technical problem that Cloudflare experienced a few weeks ago.

USERS RECEIVED 500 ERROR

Users attempting to access Cloudflare encountered a '500 Internal Server Error' message. Interestingly, Downdetector, which users rely on to report site and application issues, also became inaccessible as it uses Cloudflare's infrastructure.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR CYBER ATTACKS

The major outage experienced by Amazon Web Services (AWS) last month paralyzed internet access while also presenting new opportunities for cyber attackers. According to a report prepared by FortiGuard Labs, affiliated with Fortinet, hackers attempted new attacks during this outage. The report stated that ShadowV2, a new Mirai-based botnet, has emerged.

BOTNET THREAT

According to the report, attackers infected devices using weak passwords with malicious software, incorporating them into a botnet. This 'army of zombie devices' forms the infrastructure for large-scale cyber attacks and crashes targeted sites, particularly through DDoS attacks.

Experts emphasized that the AWS and Cloudflare outages highlight the security risks associated with the internet's reliance on essential services. Recent events have raised new questions about how fragile global digital infrastructure is. When internet infrastructures collapse, it is not just connectivity that is lost; it also creates a favorable environment for cyber attackers.

News Source: 12punto