Thousands of businesses worldwide are experiencing a major disruption today due to a faulty update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. This update is causing a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) issue on Windows machines, rendering them inoperable and forcing them into a reboot loop.
The impact is significant, affecting critical sectors like banking, airlines, TV broadcasting, supermarkets, and more. Australian organizations were the first to report the issue, with airlines, banks, and TV stations experiencing outages. As the workday begins in Europe, the problem is spreading. Major media outlets like Sky News in the UK are unable to broadcast morning news, while airlines like Ryanair are facing delays due to “third-party IT issues.”
The situation is particularly concerning in the United States, where the Federal Aviation Administration has grounded flights from major airlines Delta, United, and American Airlines due to a “communication issue.” Additionally, 911 emergency call centers in Alaska have been impacted, and airlines in India have resorted to issuing handwritten boarding passes.
CrowdStrike acknowledged the issue in a support note, stating they are aware of widespread BSOD reports and have reverted the faulty update. Unfortunately, this doesn’t resolve the problem for already affected machines. IT professionals are resorting to complex workarounds, involving booting into safe mode and deleting a specific CrowdStrike file. This solution proves challenging for cloud-based servers and remotely managed laptops.
Social media platforms like Reddit are filled with IT administrators reporting widespread outages, with some companies experiencing complete shutdowns and others facing significant device downtime. The sentiment online reflects the frustration, with comments like “Happy Friday” and “Looks like a long day for IT admins worldwide.”
Adding to the global disruption, Microsoft is also recovering from separate outages impacting its Microsoft 365 suite. While the cause for the Microsoft issues differs, it contributes to the overall tech woes plaguing businesses today.
This incident highlights the critical role cybersecurity software plays in modern business operations. While updates are essential for maintaining security, faulty deployments can have devastating consequences. Businesses should prioritize a layered security approach and implement robust testing procedures before deploying updates.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is for general purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The author’s views are personal and may not reflect the views of Chain Affairs. Before making any investment decisions, you should always conduct your own research. Chain Affairs is not responsible for any financial losses.
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