# Kiteworks Advises Nine-Hour System Shutdown Amid Potential Cyber Threat

*Published September 28, 2026*
*Source: [https://thehackernews.com/2026/09/kiteworks-urges-customers-to-shut-down.html](https://thehackernews.com/2026/09/kiteworks-urges-customers-to-shut-down.html)*

## Executive Summary

*This is a Premium edition. The Executive Summary is available to sec-news.ai members —*
*[read it here](https://www.sec-news.ai/news/kiteworks-advises-nine-hour-system-shutdown-amid-potential-cyber-threat) or [see plans](https://www.sec-news.ai/pricing).*

## Article

Kiteworks, previously known as Accellion, has issued a precautionary advisory urging its customers to shut down their systems for nine hours over the weekend. This recommendation comes after receiving credible threat intelligence from federal authorities about a possible imminent cyber attack targeting some of its systems. Frank Balonis, the Chief Information Security Officer at Kiteworks, stated that while no evidence of system compromise has been discovered, the advisory is a preventive measure rather than a reaction to a confirmed breach. 

The company has not specified which law enforcement agency provided the threat intelligence, nor has it disclosed any information about the potential threat actors. Kiteworks emphasized that its latest software release, version 9.5.1, has addressed all known vulnerabilities, and customers are advised to apply these patches to ensure optimal protection. Subsidiaries of Kiteworks, including Zivver, DRACOON, totemo, ownCloud, WAMNET, Maytech, Bonfy.ai, and 123FormBuilder, are confirmed to be unaffected by this advisory.

Additionally, Kiteworks has communicated the specific timing and details of the recommended shutdown directly to its customers via email. This precautionary measure follows historical security incidents, such as the late 2020 to early 2021 exploitation of multiple zero-day vulnerabilities by the Clop threat actor, which targeted Kiteworks' file transfer program for data theft and extortion. Customers are urged to follow the shutdown guidance to mitigate any potential risks.