Global Tech Outage Impacts Millions of Microsoft Devices

A software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused a global tech outage, affecting nearly 8.5 million Microsoft devices. The disruption had broad economic and societal impacts, grounding flights, forcing broadcasters off the air, and leaving users without access to essential services. Efforts are underway to resolve the issue.

A global tech outage linked to a software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike impacted nearly 8.5 million Microsoft devices, Microsoft announced in a blog post on Saturday.

"We currently estimate that CrowdStrike's update affected 8.5 million Windows devices, or less than one percent of all Windows machines," Microsoft stated. The update by CrowdStrike, a major player in the cybersecurity industry, led to system problems that grounded flights, disrupted broadcasters, and cut customer access to services like healthcare and banking.

"While the percentage was small, the broad economic and societal impacts reflect the use of CrowdStrike by enterprises that manage many critical services," Microsoft added. CrowdStrike has developed a solution to help Microsoft's Azure infrastructure accelerate a fix. Both companies are coordinating with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform to share information on the issue.

The air travel industry was recovering on Saturday from the outage that led to thousands of flight cancellations, leaving passengers stranded or facing extended delays. Delta Air Lines, one of the worst affected, reported over 600 flight cancellations by 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Saturday, with more cancellations anticipated.

(With inputs from agencies.)