The effects of the last week’s cyber attack are still fresh in multiple countries around the world.
It started last Sunday when Skype users from the UAE noticed that the app is not working. Upon investigating this problem, it was discovered that it might be an effect of a cyber attack. This discovery has forced people to turn to Microsoft for an explanation.
The company left a blog post in which they say that they are aware of the situation. They also said that due to the incident, the users might have issues with sending and receiving messages or even connecting the app.
Another update was published on Tuesday, and in it, Microsoft said that the monitoring of the app and its behavior will continue for now. Another update is expected when the issue is dealt with completely.
At first, the UAE’s social media users suspected that the app might have been blocked intentionally. However, on Monday, June 19, a hacking group claimed responsibility for the hack.
CyberTeam, which is what the group calls itself, took credit for the problems related to Skype. They left a simple, but clear message on their Twitter, that says ‘Skype down by CyberTeam’.
https://twitter.com/_CyberTeam_/status/876912510883872769
Down Detector, which is a service monitor, showed that the issues with Skype are not only showing in the UAE but in Japan as well. As the week progressed, similar reports came from multiple sources in Europe, and even from India, Singapore, Pakistan, and South Africa.
According to CyberTeam, these issues all came to be because of their DDoS attacks at Skype’s network.
Then on June 23, another report came, and this time it was from a company based in Luxembourg. They claimed that Skype actually did got blocked in UAE once more. They also said that there is not much that can be done about it at the moment.
The loss of Skype access was felt strongly, and many users complained about it, even during Eid Al Fitr.
Twitter reports and complaints were many as well. Users were mostly wondering why is Skype blocked again, and what is left to those who are depending on the app and the calls that it allowed them to make.
The situation is pretty much the same for the users of other affected countries, and all are wondering what is going on, and why can’t they use the app properly?
They also complained about WhatsApp not working properly either, and the issues even reached Reddit’s discussions.
Most of the affected users stated that they can both see and hear the other person during their Skype calls. However, the same cannot be said for them, since their Skype is not working properly.
