Worldwide searches for “CrowdStrike stock” and “Microsoft stock” have surged 3 054% and 981% respectively over the past week after the global IT crash. However, each corporation’s daily stock value dropped on 19 July.
This is following an outage that spread globally after an update from global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, knocking many Microsoft Windows PCs offline.
The founder of CrowdStrike confirmed the outage was caused by a bug in the update and not a cyberattack.
Marc Porcar, CEO of QR Code Generator PRO SL, says: “Following the blackout searches for ‘CrowdStrike stock’ and ‘Microsoft stock’ are up, as people show interest in the impact of the outage on these two companies. Following the outage on 19 July, CrowdStrike’s daily stock value dropped from $343.05 to $294.53 – down by around 14,1%.
“Meanwhile, Microsoft stock has also seen a dip in daily stock value, dropping on 19 July from $440.37 to $432.94,” he adds. “Media coverage and social media are a big influence on the interest in stocks. Often when a company is trending, investors identify potential opportunities based on current buzz and sentiment.”
One of the many global organisations affected by the outage was Ryanair, which confirmed it had been forced to cancel a small number of flights.
Ryanair shares fell on Monday by 14,53%, following the company’s announcement that its profit after tax for the three months to the end of June came in at 360-million euros ($392-million).
As major companies are seeing global disruption, scammers are preying on customers who are seeking advice.
“Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of the outage and those affected,” continues Porcar. “Fraudsters are impersonating Microsoft customer services by sending email, text messages or calling, offering help following the outage in exchange for personal information.
“To spot anything fraudulent, you must be aware that Microsoft, CrowdStrike or any other huge corporation do not reach out to you in this way,” he says. “A message will most likely be sent to you through your personal account via the official website.
“Therefore, if you do receive anything from these companies, go straight to the legitimate website and check if you have an alert there. If you do not, this is often an indication of a scam.”