Many Windows PCs and computer systems around the world are brokenaffecting businesses such as airlines, supermarkets, broadcasters, software providers, etc.
The problem stems from a faulty update to the cybersecurity company’s Falcon Sensor software Crowd strikeand this causes BSOD – the “blue screen of death” – for many people.
The outage was initially only mentioned in a CrowdStrike update to customers, with both CrowdStrike and Microsoft (whose Windows systems are most affected) remaining silent on the issue. Now, both companies have acknowledged the issue.
“We are aware of an issue affecting Windows devices due to an update to a third-party software platform. We expect a resolution to be available soon,” a Microsoft spokesperson told BBC.
“Crowdstrike is actively working with customers impacted by a flaw found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed,” CrowdStrike said in a statement to the BBC.
“We are directing customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide comprehensive and ongoing updates on our website. We further recommend that organizations ensure they communicate with Crowdstrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of Crowdstrike customers,” the company said.
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George Kurtz, President and CEO of CrowdStrike, also released the next statement on X:
“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a flaw found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not affected. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed. We are directing customers to the Support Portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide comprehensive and ongoing updates on our website. We further recommend that organizations ensure they communicate with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully committed to ensuring the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”
As people on X have pointed out in the replies, Kurtz’s statement does not include an apology for the problem that caused a collapse for major industries such as banking, airlines and medical services. Later, in a interview with TODAY, Kurtz more conciliatory.
He said the company was “deeply sorry for the impact we have caused to customers, travelers and anyone affected by this.” But, Kurtz also noted, the problem could last for some time.
“It may take some time for some systems to not recover automatically,” he said.
Around noon on Friday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella released his own statement.
“Yesterday, CrowdStrike released an update that has begun impacting IT systems around the world,” Nadella said. wrote on X. “We are aware of this issue and are working closely with CrowdStrike and the wider industry to provide customers with technical guidance and support to bring their systems back online safely.”
