Blue Screens of Death day. Huge Microsoft Outage Linked to CrowdStrike

While talking to a student about his career plans, my mother called me and asked if I was affected by the massive cyber attack. She had watched a TV news show, and apparently, the show had that apocalyptic tone.  As far as I know, some Turkish Airlines had to be canceled.

In the early hours of Friday, companies in Australia running Microsoft’s Windows operating system started reporting devices showing Blue Screens of Death (BSODs). Shortly after, reports of disruptions started flooding in from around the world, including from the UK, the Netherlands, and the US: TV station Sky News went offline, and US airlines United, Delta, and American Airlines issued a “global ground stop” on all flights. The widespread Windows outages have been linked to a software update from cybersecurity giant ​​Crowdstrike via

The recent global IT outage linked to CrowdStrike has caused significant disruptions across various sectors, including airlines, banks, media outlets, and other businesses. Here are the key details:

Cause of the Outage

The outage was triggered by a faulty update to CrowdStrike’s Falcon security software. This update caused Windows-based systems to experience the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), leading to repeated crashes and rendering many devices inoperable. The issue primarily affected devices running Microsoft’s Windows operating system[2][4][8].

Impact

The outage had widespread effects, including:
– Airlines: Major airlines such as Delta, United, and American Airlines were forced to ground flights, causing significant travel disruptions[2][3][7].
– Financial Services: Banks and financial institutions experienced outages, affecting their operations and customer services[1][7].
– Media and Broadcasting: Media outlets like Sky News in the UK and ABC in Australia faced broadcast interruptions and operational challenges[1][3][4].
– Other Sectors: Supermarkets, hospitals, and various businesses reported disruptions in their IT systems and services[1][6][9].

Response and Resolution

CrowdStrike acknowledged the issue and has been actively working on a fix. The company confirmed that the problem was not due to a cyberattack but rather a defect in a software update. They have provided a manual workaround for affected systems, which involves booting into Safe Mode and deleting specific files associated with the faulty update[2][4][5].

Microsoft also responded by rerouting affected traffic and working to restore functionality to its Azure and Microsoft 365 services[7][9].

Broader Implications

This incident highlights the vulnerabilities inherent in relying on complex IT infrastructures and third-party software. It underscores the potential for significant operational disruptions when critical software updates go wrong, affecting multiple sectors globally[5][7].

In summary, the CrowdStrike-related outage has been a major event, affecting a wide range of industries and highlighting the critical importance of robust IT management and contingency planning.

Citations:
1. ABC News – Global IT Outage: CrowdStrike, Microsoft, Banks, Airlines Affected
2. Yahoo Finance – Microsoft Outage Triggered by CrowdStrike
3. Euronews – Major Microsoft Outage Hits Users Worldwide, Leading to Cancelled Flights
4. Help Net Security – CrowdStrike Outage
5. Wired – Microsoft Windows Outage and CrowdStrike Global IT Problems
6. Al Jazeera – Australia Struck by Major IT Outage Hitting Banks, Media, Telecoms
7. Reuters – Global Cyber Outage Grounds Flights, Hits Media, Financial, Telecoms
8. The Verge – Windows BSOD and CrowdStrike Outage Issue
9. Times of India – What is CrowdStrike and How is It Linked to Microsoft Outage?