An Update on the CrowdStrike Outage Last Week
What is going on with my computer?
On July 18, 2024, what may be considered the largest IT outage in history occurred. Millions of Microsoft Windows computers around the world generated a blue screen error and crashed. This outage affected multiple industries, most notably airlines, financial services, healthcare, and media outlets. As a result, airlines had to delay or cancel flights, online banking services became unavailable, healthcare systems were disrupted, and some media and broadcast outlets were taken offline.
Causes of the Outage
The outage was caused by a faulty software update by security software vendor Crowdstrike. The update was released to Microsoft Windows computers running their software which led to the widespread event.
CrowdStrike’s Response
Crowdstrike promptly identified the issue and deployed a fix. Despite their quick response, the recovery process remains manual and time-consuming, necessitating physical access to each computer. Security features like Microsoft’s BitLocker further complicate the process and extend recovery time. Instead of taking hours to restore operations, companies are now facing days to achieve full functionality.
Currently, industries are still recovering, leading to delays and cancellations of flights and degraded services. This recent service outage, caused by a faulty software update, underscores the critical need for rigorous testing and robust checks in systems to prevent widespread vulnerabilities. Such incidents remind us of the importance of using trusted companies, like DTC, to properly vet third-party applications. For more information about this CrowdStrike disruption, please refer to the linked text above.
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