CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. is an American cybersecurity technology company based in Austin, Texas. It provides endpoint security, threat intelligence, and cyberattack response services.
A faulty update issued by CrowdStrike, has resulted in a massive overnight outage that afected Windows computers around the world, disrupting business, airports, train stations, banks, broadcasters and the helthcare sector.
CrowdStrike’s chief executive, George Kurtz, confirmed in a post on X that a “defect” in a content update for Windows hosts had caused the outage, and Kurtz ruled out a cyberattack. He added that the firm was rolling out a fix and that Mac and Linux hosts were not affected.
What Happened
Late Thursday, 18th of July, and Friday 19th, stories began to surface of IT issues in which Windows machines became trapped with the famed "blue screen of death" – a bright blue error screen with a message that appears when Windows experiences a major failure, crashes, or fails to launch.
The outages were first reported in Australia early Friday, and reports swiftly spread throughout Asia and Europe, as well as the United States.
CrowdStrike quickly confirmed that a Falcon software update had failed, forcing Windows systems with the malware installed to crash. Falcon allows CrowdStrike to remotely examine and detect harmful threats and malware on installed systems.
At roughly the same time, Microsoft reported a large outage in one of its most popular Azure cloud regions, which covers much of the central United States. A Microsoft official announced that the downtime was unconnected to CrowdStrike's incident.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote on X at approximately noon (Eastern time) on Friday, stating that the company is aware of the CrowdStrike malfunctioning update and is "working closely with CrowdStrike and across the industry to provide customers with technical guidance and support to safely bring their systems back online."
What is CrowdStrike and what does Falcon Sensor do?
Founded in 2011, CrowdStrike has rapidly expanded into a major player in the cybersecurity space. According to its website, the company currently serves 29,000 corporate clients with software and services, including about half of Fortune 500 businesses, 43 of the 50 U.S. states, and eight of the top 10 tech giants.
The company’s cybersecurity software, Falcon, is used by enterprises to manage security on millions of computers around the world. These businesses include large corporations, hospitals, transportation hubs and government departments. Most consumer devices do not run Falcon and are unaffected by this outage.
One of the company’s biggest recent claims to fame was when it caught a group of Russian government hackers breaking into the Democratic National Committee ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. CrowdStrike is also known for using memorable animal-themed names for the hacking groups it tracks based on their nationality, such as: Fancy Bear, believed to be part of Russia’s General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU; Cozy Bear, believed to be part of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR; Gothic Panda, believed to be a Chinese government group; and Charming Kitten, believed to be an Iranian state-backed group. The company even makes action figures to represent these groups, which it sells as swag.
Who did the outages affect?
Almost everyone who uses a computer running CrowdStrike software in their daily lives is impacted, even if the computer isn't theirs.
These gadgets include grocery store cash registers, train and airport departure boards, school computers, laptops and desktop computers provided by your employer, airport check-in systems, airline ticketing and scheduling platforms, healthcare networks, and many more. Due to the widespread use of CrowdStrike's software, the outages are wreaking havoc globally in a number of ways. In a fleet of systems, a single compromised Windows machine can be sufficient to cause network disruptions.
Outages were observed and experienced worldwide, including doctor's offices, and travel hubs.
The major problem here is that CrowdStrike’s Falcon Sensor software malfunctioned, causing Windows machines to crash, and there’s no easy way to fix that. Crowdstrike has issued a patch and also a detailed workaround that could help affected systems return to normal operation, until a more permanent solution is rolled out. A possible solution is to reboot the affected computer to give it an opportunity to download the reverted channel file.
It's understandable why some people would have believed that a cyberattack was the cause of this outage. Unexpected blackouts, airport blue screens, business PCs with error warnings, and disarray and uncertainty. As one might anticipate, a good deal of false information is already circulated, even though social media platforms mistakenly label popular subjects like "cyberattack."
Why GIGAMiT’s Services are Essential in Today’s Digital Landscape
The recent outage of CrowdStrike serves as a clear reminder of how important it is for companies to have strong cybersecurity protocols and dependable IT infrastructure in place. As demonstrated by the most recent problem that impacted hundreds of organizations worldwide, even a small technical error can cause enormous disruptions in a world where digital operations form the foundation of almost every industry.
In order to ensure that your company can withstand these kinds of storms, GIGAMiT provides a range of services that minimize downtime and shield your operations from the potentially disastrous consequences of cyberattacks or IT malfunctions. Among our offerings are:
- Managed IT Services: GIGAMiT provides continuous monitoring and management of your IT infrastructure, ensuring that any issues are identified and addressed before they can cause significant disruption.
- Cybersecurity Solutions: We offer comprehensive cybersecurity services that help protect your business from threats and vulnerabilities. Our solutions include endpoint security, threat detection, and incident response services similar to those offered by leading firms like CrowdStrike.
- Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery: In the event of a major IT failure, GigaMIT’s disaster recovery services can help get your business back online quickly, with minimal data loss and downtime.
In a world where unexpected failures can cripple global operations, having a reliable partner like GIGAMiT can mean the difference. By investing in our complete IT services, your company may keep ahead of potential disruptions and maintain efficient operations even in the face of problems.