Major services are hit globally after a simple update of CyberStrike on Microsoft-run systems. Air Travel, Banking, Stock Markets, Medical Services, and Media Reporting, were among the few that remain affected. Several airlines have suspended their flights, while some resorted to legacy methods to check in and board passengers. Global Payroll Association said the outage could cause delays in the payroll process.
CyberStrike CEO George Kurtz, who apologized for the disruption, clarified that it’s not a cyber attack and that they are working with their clients to restore functions. According to a report, at least half of 500 Fortune companies run CyberStrike for cyber security. The Texas-based company, formed in 2011 offers end-point security to large corporate systems and hardware, securing them from malware attacks when they connect to laptops and other handheld devices.
Many Microsoft-run systems crashed, displaying what’s informally called the blue screen of death (BsoD). Later in the afternoon, the IT major said the issue had been resolved. Per cyber correspondent Joe Tidy, Microsoft has suggested turning off and on the systems, as many as 15 times. CrowdStrike, for its part, said the troubled update to its virus scanner Falcon has been fixed. However, it could be some time until systems are back running again.
With at least 3300 flights affected globally, and people struggling to make card payments and get their medical appointments booked the outage has significantly impacted operations across the world. Elon Musk called it the “Biggest IT fail ever.” CrowdStrike, meanwhile, lost a value of $12.5 bn, with its shares opening 15% below on the Nasdaq exchange.
References:
- Global tech outage disrupts industries, highlights online risks – Reuters
- Global Outage – Live Updates from BBC
- Airlines and businesses struggle to recover following global Microsoft outage – CNN