Widespread Microsoft Disruption Attributed to CrowdStrike Incident Affects Global Computer Systems
On Friday morning (7/19/2024), Microsoft experienced a significant global IT disruption, impacting various sectors including air travel, finance, healthcare, and media. This affected a vast number of Windows computers essential to the internet infrastructure. Particularly distressing are reports of US emergency services’ 911 call centers being compromised.
Microsoft acknowledged late Thursday about troubles with accessing 365 services and noted service improvements following mitigation efforts early Friday. Details on the disruption’s causes were scant as Microsoft remained silent post-incident. The incident’s connection to CrowdStrike’s erroneous update, which jeopardizes the security of countless Windows systems, was confirmed by the company, which announced the implementation of a resolution.
“This is not a security incident or cyberattack,” the company added.
The most recent internet shutdown of this scale occurred when a provider known as Fastly experienced issues in 2021. This event underscores the extent to which the internet relies on a communal backbone, making it susceptible to extensive problems. The stock values of numerous firms plummeted after Friday’s disruption, but the impact was also personal, interfering with everything from holiday arrangements to the ability to reach emergency services.
Flights grounded: Can you fly today?
As of 9:30 a.m. ET, there were over 2,246 flights canceled and more than 22,998 delays according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. As reported by Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, the current cancellations constitute slightly more than 1.9% of the planned flights, which is “markedly above the normal rate for this time of day.” While most carriers managed to restart their services as the morning went on, numerous airlines anticipated ongoing interruptions for the remainder of the day. If you are traveling today, we’d encourage you to check your flight status before traveling to the airport.
Was the Microsoft outage a cyberattack?
No. The outage resulted from an erroneous security update issued by CrowdStrike. CEO George Kurtz stated the company is assisting customers affected by a defect in a specific content update for Windows hosts, clarifying that it was neither a security breach nor a cyberattack. The problem has been pinpointed, contained, and a solution has been implemented.
Has the issue been resolved?
CrowdStrike’s CEO said that a fix has been deployed. Here is the full statement:
“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 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.”
And Microsoft said the “underlying cause” has been fixed, but that the outages are still affecting some services.
We will provide more information as this story unfolds.
