CrowdStrike Update Takes Down Microsoft Systems
Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike rolled out an update that crashed Windows systems around the world.
A global technology outage caused disruptions to major airlines, media companies, banks and telecommunications companies around the world on Friday morning.
The Australian government said the outage appeared to be linked to issues with cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which is used by more than half of the Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. company said in a promotional video released this year.
A warning sent by CrowdStrike to customers and seen by Reuters said the company’s “Falcon Sensor” software was causing Microsoft Windows to crash, displaying what is informally known as the “Blue Screen of Death.”
The alert, sent out at 1:30 a.m. ET on Friday, also shared a manual workaround to fix the issue. A CrowdStrike spokesperson did not respond to emails or phone calls seeking comment.
Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz said in a post on X that the company is “actively working with customers impacted by the flaw found in a single content update for Windows hosts.” Kurtz also clarified that the incident “is not a security incident or a cyber attack.”
Kurtz said in the post that the issue has been identified and a fix has been deployed, and that the company will “continue to provide full and ongoing updates on our website.” He further said that the company is “committed to ensuring the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”
Crowdstrike was founded in 2012 and today has “the world’s most advanced cloud-native platform to secure and enable the people, process and technology that power the modern enterprise,” according to the company’s website.
Technology outage update: Global technology outage causes flight cancellations, impacts banking and media businesses
Flight cancellations: Global IT outage causes grounding, more than 670 US flights cancelled
Global technical outage causes flight cancellations and delays
Air travelers around the world faced delays, cancellations and problems checking in as airports and airlines were caught in the blackout.
Several U.S. airlines, including American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, grounded all flights early Friday due to communications issues, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
More than 2,000 flights were canceled and more than 6,100 were delayed as of 1 p.m. ET, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. Most airlines were able to resume service by mid-morning, but many expect disruptions to continue throughout the day.
Airports and airlines around the world advised passengers to arrive earlier than usual for their flights, and analysts said the outages were likely linked to a glitch in Microsoft software used around the world.
Microsoft said “configuration changes in some of our Azure-based workloads” could cause users to lose access to various Office 365 apps and services.
In a statement about X, Microsoft said that “the underlying cause has been fixed” but that “some Microsoft 365 apps and services remain affected and we are implementing additional mitigation steps to provide relief.”
In a statement Friday morning, the Department of Homeland Security said it and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency were working with CrowdStrike, Microsoft and federal, state, local and critical infrastructure partners to “thoroughly assess and address the outage.”
Power outages affect other industries
The technology outage had widespread effects on Friday, from Britain to Singapore.
British broadcaster Sky News went offline, British rail companies reported lengthy delays, and departure boards at several British airports appeared to freeze, according to passengers who posted reports on social media.
The London Stock Exchange reported confusion. Some hospitals also reported difficulties processing bookings, and several retail chains said they were unable to accept payments. Football club Manchester United said it had been forced to postpone a planned ticket sale at X.
In Australia, media, banking and telecommunications companies were hit by outages.
The office of Australia’s national cyber security coordinator, Michelle McGuinness, said in a post on X that there was no information to indicate the outage was the result of a cybersecurity incident.
The New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority said a global technical outage had taken some of its systems offline, but MTA train and bus service was not affected.
Video shows long lines at airports after CrowdStrike technical issues
Travelers around the world faced delays and cancellations as airlines came to a near halt.
Contributors: Kim Helmgard, Christopher Kang, Zach Wichter and Josh Rivera, USA TODAY
Gabe Haouari is a national trend news reporter for USA Today. You can follow him on X. Gabe Haouari Or email me at Gdhauari@gannett.com.
