CrowdStrike’s global outage: a fatal update paralyzes the world ☠️

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July 19, 2024 will remain a memorable date in the history of computer failures. An unprecedented computer outage struck thousands of businesses and organizations worldwide. Banks, airlines, television networks, supermarkets, and many other sectors were affected by this massive malfunction.

A faulty update: the starting point ☠️

At the origin of this crisis: a defective update deployed by CrowdStrike, a major American cybersecurity company. Ironically, a tool designed to protect systems ended up causing their malfunction.

CrowdStrike, founded in 2011 and based in Austin, Texas, specializes in protecting computers, servers, and mobile devices. Its Falcon security platform combines several advanced technologies to detect and prevent cyberattacks. It is used by over 29,000 clients, including many Fortune 500 companies. Formula 1 fans are familiar with the brand, as it is one of the sponsors of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and the Formula 1 safety car.

Source : Mercedes-Benz

The problematic update caused a « Blue Screen of Death » (BSOD) on affected Windows machines. This is the blue screen that appears when your Windows computer crashes. They were then plunged into an endless reboot loop.

Source : Microsoft

George Kurtz, CEO of CrowdStrike, quickly acknowledged the problem on the X platform (formerly Twitter). He explained that the outage was due to a flaw in a content update for Windows operating systems. He also specified that it was not a security incident or a cyberattack. Finally, he assured that CrowdStrike was actively working to resolve the issue.

A global and multisectoral impact 😰

The first signs of the outage appeared in Australia. Banks, airlines, and television broadcasters began reporting problems. Within hours, the outage spread to Europe and the rest of the world. Banks, airports, media, and even emergency services were severely disrupted.

Companies such as Ryanair in Europe, Delta and United Airlines in the United States had to cancel or delay hundreds of flights due to the unavailability of their computer systems. Banks and supermarkets had to close their doors, unable to process transactions or manage their internal systems. Even emergency call centers, like those in Alaska, were affected, complicating the management of critical calls.

In France, although airports were not directly affected by the outage, many flights were canceled due to international disruptions. Berlin International Airport was particularly affected, with cascading delays and cancellations.

A monumental challenge for IT administrators 🖥️

Resolving the problem proves complex and time-consuming for IT teams. Each affected machine must be restarted in safe mode to manually remove a faulty system file. This procedure, impossible to automate, is particularly problematic for cloud servers or remotely used laptops.

According to cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont, this incident could be « the biggest ‘cyber’ incident ever to occur in the world in terms of impact. »

This global outage highlights the vulnerability of our interconnected computer systems. It also reminds us of the crucial importance of rigorously testing updates before deploying them on a large scale. It also highlights our growing dependence on digital technologies and the devastating domino effect that a simple error can cause on a global scale.

Were you impacted by this outage? What do you think about the situation in general? Come discuss it in the comments.