Disruption Across the Globe
A faulty software update from cybersecurity vendor Crowdstrike has crippled countless Microsoft Windows computers worldwide. This disruption has affected everything from airline travel and financial institutions to hospitals and businesses online. Crowdstrike has stated that a fix has been deployed, but experts warn that recovery from this outage may take some time, as the solution needs to be applied manually on a per-machine basis.
Cause of the Outage
Earlier today, an errant update shipped by Crowdstrike began causing Windows machines running the software to display the dreaded "Blue Screen of Death," rendering those systems temporarily unusable. Like most security software, Crowdstrike requires deep hooks into the Windows operating system to fend off digital intruders, and in that environment, a tiny coding error can quickly lead to catastrophic outcomes.
Crowdstrike's Response
In a post on Twitter/X, Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz announced that an update to correct the coding mistake has been shipped and clarified that Mac and Linux systems are not affected.
“This is not a security incident or cyberattack,” Kurtz said on Twitter, echoing a written statement by Crowdstrike. “The issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed.”
Posting to Twitter/X, the director of Crowdstrike’s threat hunting operations outlined the fix, which involves booting Windows into Safe Mode or the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE), deleting the file “C-00000291*.sys,” and then restarting the machine.
Additional Complications
The software snafu may have been compounded by a recent series of outages involving Microsoft’s Azure cloud services, although it remains unclear whether those Azure problems are related to the bad Crowdstrike update.
Update, 4:03 p.m. ET: Microsoft reports that today's Azure problems were unrelated to the bad Crowdstrike update.
Impact on Critical Services
Matt Burgess at Wired reports that various medical providers worldwide have reported issues with their Windows-linked systems. The US Emergency Alert System, which issues hurricane warnings, noted various 911 outages in several states. Germany’s University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein canceled some nonurgent surgeries at two locations, while in Israel, more than a dozen hospitals and pharmacies were impacted. NHS England confirmed that appointment and patient record systems were affected, with one hospital declaring a ‘critical’ incident. Additionally, train operators in the UK reported delays across the network.
Social Media Reactions
Reactions to today’s outage were swift and brutal on social media, flooded with images of people at airports surrounded by computer screens displaying the Microsoft blue screen error. Many Twitter/X users criticized the Crowdstrike CEO for not apologizing for the disruption, while others noted that an apology could expose the company to lawsuits.
Trending Topic
The international Windows outage quickly became the most talked-about subject on Twitter/X. Parody posts from cybersecurity professionals pretending to be on their first week of work at Crowdstrike were collated into a sunny, can-do story by Twitter/X's AI, which was promoted as the top discussion on the platform this morning.
“Several individuals have recently started working at the cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike and have expressed their excitement and pride in their new roles,” the AI summary read. “They have shared their experiences of pushing code to production on their first day and are looking forward to positive outcomes in their work.”
Conclusion
This is an evolving story. Stay tuned for updates.
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