Global IT Outage: Crowdstrike and Microsoft Implement Fixes

Crowdstrike has addressed a major IT outage impacting various industries worldwide, including airlines, banking, and healthcare, by deploying a fix. Microsoft also resolved the root cause of disruptions affecting its 365 apps like Teams and OneDrive. The issue was traced back to a defect in a content update for Microsoft Windows.

Cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike has deployed a fix for an issue that triggered a major tech outage affecting global industries, including airlines, banking, and healthcare, the company's CEO announced on Friday.

Microsoft reported separately that it had resolved the underlying cause of the disruptions affecting its 365 apps and services, including Teams and OneDrive, although some services still faced residual impacts. "This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed," Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz stated on social media platform X.

Kurtz explained that the issue originated from a defect found in a single content update for Microsoft Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts remained unaffected. The incident, which caused substantial IT disruptions globally, led to halted flights, off-air broadcasters, and operational challenges across various sectors. Crowdstrike's "Falcon Sensor" software was identified as causing Microsoft's Windows to crash with the notorious "Blue Screen of Death." The travel industry was particularly impacted, with numerous airports experiencing delays and network issues, while banking and financial institutions from Australia to South Africa reported service disruptions to clients.

(With inputs from agencies.)