Kiteworks urges precautionary system shutdowns amid cyberattack threat

Software company Kiteworks has advised its customers to perform a precautionary shutdown of their systems following warnings from federal intelligence authorities regarding an imminent cyberattack. The company, which provides tools for secure file transfers and sensitive data communication, recommended a six-hour shutdown window over the weekend to mitigate potential risks.

Frank Balonis, Chief Information Security Officer at Kiteworks, stated that the company received ‘credible threat intelligence from federal intelligence authorities indicating that a threat actor may attempt to target some Kiteworks systems for customers.’ He emphasized that the advisory is preventative and that the company is not currently aware of any confirmed compromise or breach of its systems.

Reports indicate the warning may be related to a potential ‘zero-day’ vulnerability, which refers to flaws unknown to the vendor that could be exploited before a fix is available. Kiteworks has advised all users to ensure they are running the latest software version, 9.5.1, which addresses all currently known vulnerabilities. The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have not commented on the matter.