It was a normal day on July 19, 2024, until a global computer outage impacted almost every facet of daily life. Around the world, airlines, banks and other businesses were affected by the tech shutdown. So, what caused the catastrophe, and how is CrowdStrike involved?
What Is CrowdStrike?
CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. is a cybersecurity company that offers protection against cyber attacks, threats and more. The company has been involved in several investigations over the years, including the 2014 Sony Pictures hack and the 2016 cyberattack against the Democratic National Committee.
What Caused the Global Outage?
On July 19, 2024, businesses around the world — including in Australia, India, the U.K., Germany and more — reported that their Microsoft Windows systems were not working. Devices were displaying what is known as the “Blue Screen of Death,” which is when an error has occurred. All machines that were affected made them unusable.
The overwhelming outage was apparently caused by a software update by CrowdStrike, but it was not a malicious cyberattack. However, businesses around the world were warned of scammers and hackers trying to take advantage of the widespread shutdown.
As a result, thousands of flights in the United States were grounded, according to FlightAware. Delta, United and American Airlines were all impacted by the technological glitch. Apart from airlines, certain TV stations, healthcare facilities, hotels and banks were unable to carry on with business.
How Did CrowdStrike Respond?
CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect 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. We…
— George Kurtz (@George_Kurtz) July 19, 2024
CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to respond to the chaos.
“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,” George tweeted. “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. We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. We further recommend organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”