Crowdstrike error causes global disruption. Repairs could take days
19 July 2024 17:13
CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz stated on Friday that the global malfunction of Microsoft's operating system was caused by our error, not a cyberattack. An expert quoted by Reuters estimates that the problem cannot be resolved remotely, and the repair may take several days.
The cause of the malfunction was an error in the update of CrowdStrike's Falcon program on devices using the Windows operating system, said Kurtz in a statement. Affected computers display a blue background, known in IT jargon as the "blue screen of death".
The problem was detected relatively early—on Friday around 06:30 GMT, CrowdStrike sent an alert to users with instructions on how to fix the problem themselves. However, according to Omer Grossman, head of IT at CyberArk, Reuters quoted that repairing the malfunction's effects may take several days.
The damage is dramatic
Reuters emphasised that the malfunction's effects are felt worldwide because thousands of companies store data in the cloud, and Microsoft and CrowdStrike are very popular.
Grossman assesed that the scale of damage caused to global trade is dramatic.
CrowdStrike's software, used by many companies, is designed to detect and block cyber threats, such as hacking attacks. The program requires access to the computer's operating system, which it protects. Friday's malfunction occurred due to an error in the Falcon program update, which blocked the computer when combined with the Windows operating system, causing the blue screen to appear.
CrowdStrike gained worldwide recognition when it discovered that Russian hackers stole thousands of emails from the Democratic National Committee's servers during the 2016 US presidential election campaign. The company sells its programs globally and serves hundreds of companies from various industries.
