Outage Opportunists: Phishing Risks During AWS Downtime
Category:Threat Alerts / Threat Intelligence
Cofense warns that major outages—such as AWS disruptions—are routinely exploited for phishing, spoofed helpdesks, QR scams, and fake patch downloads. Case studies from 2024–2025 show rapid lure adaptation during high‑profile downtime events, increasing credential theft and malware risk.
CORTEX Protocol Intelligence Assessment
Business Impact: Crisis‑time phishing can compound outage impact and prolong recovery. Technical Context: Lookalike domains, MFA fatigue, and QR phishing surge during service instability.
Strategic Intelligence Guidance
- Pre‑stage outage comms and trusted status portals.
- Quarantine “outage update” emails for manual review.
- Block newly‑registered domains during incidents.
- Brief helpdesk on expected social engineering during outages.
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Intelligence Source: Outage Opportunists: Phishing Risks During AWS Downtime | Oct 22, 2025