Microsoft IT Outages Cause Global Disruptions Following CrowdStrike Update

Microsoft systems worldwide are facing massive disruptions due to a faulty update from CrowdStrike, affecting critical services globally.

Points

• Microsoft systems face massive disruptions due to a CrowdStrike update.
• Affected systems experienced the “blue screen of death” （BSoD）.
• Global impact includes grounded flights, disrupted trains, and affected banks.
• CrowdStrike’s stock price declined nearly 20% in pre-market trading.
• CEO George Kurtz assured customers the issue is not a security incident.

Businesses around the world are facing massive IT disruptions after a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused thousands of Windows-based IT systems and endpoints to crash. Affected systems experienced the “blue screen of death” （BSoD） and were unable to reboot and function properly.

The cause stemmed from an update to CrowdStrike’s Falcon Sensor security product. CrowdStrike is currently working on rolling back the faulty update, but reports indicate that affected systems need manual intervention to be restored. The outage has grounded flights, disrupted trains, and affected banks, with Sky News being unable to broadcast. The effects were first reported in Australia and New Zealand but have since spread to Asia and Europe.

In the financial sector, the London Stock Exchange reported technical issues with its news service, although the exchange itself was functioning normally. Meanwhile, CrowdStrike’s stock price has declined nearly 20% in pre-market trading. CrowdStrike President and CEO George Kurtz made a statement on X, assuring customers that the issue was identified, isolated, and a fix was deployed. He emphasized that this is not a security incident or cyberattack.

Polygon CISO Mudit Gupta commented that Polygon uses CrowdStrike technology but was not impacted due to their practice of testing non-critical updates before rollout. This incident has prompted experts to reflect on the fragility of interconnected IT infrastructure in the global economy.

解説

• The faulty update from CrowdStrike caused significant global disruptions, affecting various critical services.
• Systems experienced the “blue screen of death,” requiring manual intervention for restoration.
• CrowdStrike’s stock price dropped significantly, reflecting investor concerns.
• CrowdStrike assured customers that the issue was not a security incident.
• The incident highlights the interconnected nature and potential fragility of global IT infrastructure.