Crowdstrike update causes massive IT outage on 8.5 million Windows devices: Microsoft

New Delhi: In a significant disruption attributed to a software update by cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike, Microsoft revealed on Saturday that nearly 8.5 million Windows devices were affected. The outage, which impacted less than one percent of all Windows machines globally, caused widespread disruptions across various sectors.

Routine update by Crowdstrike 

According to Microsoft's blog post, the disruption stemmed from a routine update by Crowdstrike, a major player in the cybersecurity industry. The update inadvertently triggered system failures that reverberated through critical services such as air travel, broadcasting, healthcare, and banking. The broad economic and societal impacts underscored the reliance of enterprises on CrowdStrike's services for maintaining essential operations.

Microsoft engaged with other cloud service providers

Microsoft reported that Crowdstrike swiftly collaborated with its Azure infrastructure to expedite a solution. Additionally, Microsoft engaged with other cloud service providers like Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform to share insights and address the widespread effects of the disruption. The coordinated effort aimed to restore normalcy to affected services as quickly as possible.

Air travel industry struggling to recover

The air travel sector bore a substantial brunt of the outage, resulting in thousands of flight cancellations and extensive delays. Delta Air Lines, among the worst affected, reported over 600 flight cancellations by Saturday morning EDT, with further disruptions anticipated. Passengers faced significant travel disruptions, including extended waits and rebooking challenges, as airports and airlines grappled with the fallout from the IT outage.