Ghana’s Cyber Security Authority (CSA) and the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) have warned of potential phishing attacks targeting Microsoft users following a widespread outage that disrupted Outlook and other Microsoft platforms.
In a joint public alert issued, the institutions said that although Microsoft had restored the affected services, some users could continue experiencing intermittent disruptions as normal operations resume.
They cautioned that cybercriminals could exploit the disruption by impersonating Microsoft or IT support teams and sending fraudulent links disguised as account recovery, password reset or service restoration requests.
“Cybercriminals routinely exploit such outages by posing as Microsoft or IT support teams, offering ‘fixes’ or ‘restored access’ links, or asking users to ‘verify’ or ‘re-authenticate’ their accounts,” the alert stated.
The authorities have advised users against clicking suspicious links, opening unexpected attachments or sharing passwords, one-time verification codes and multi-factor authentication (MFA) approvals.
They also urged individuals and organisations to verify email addresses before responding to messages, reject authentication requests they did not initiate and avoid bypassing established security procedures.
Businesses Urged to Protect Sensitive Information
The CSA and NITA have further cautioned organisations against exposing confidential information when switching to alternative communication platforms during service disruptions.
“Exercise caution when using messaging applications during the outage, especially when sending sensitive or confidential documents,” the institutions advised.
They recommended confirming recipients before sharing files and using approved organisational communication channels wherever possible.
The CSA has encouraged the public to report suspicious online activities through its 24-hour incident reporting channels: call or text 292, WhatsApp 0501603111 or email [email protected].
