CrowdStrike, Microsoft break silence on the Windows outage disrupting the world

Editor’s note: Check out our oft-updated live blog for all new developments about the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage.

Numerous Windows PCs and computer systems across the world are down, affecting businesses like airlines, supermarkets, broadcasters, software providers, and more.

The issue stems from a faulty update in the Falcon Sensor software from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, and it’s causing BSOD – the “blue screen of death” – for a lot of people.

Initially, the outage was only mentioned in a CrowdStrike update to customers, with both CrowdStrike, and Microsoft — whose Windows systems are the ones affected — staying silent on the matter. Now, both companies have acknowledged the issue.

“We’re aware of an issue affecting Windows devices due to an update from a third-party software platform. We anticipate a resolution is forthcoming,” a Microsoft spokesperson told the BBC.

“Crowdstrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed,” CrowdStrike said in a statement to BBC.

“We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. We further recommend organisations ensure they’re communicating with Crowdstrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilised to ensure the security and stability of Crowdstrike customers,” the company said.

George Kurtz, the President & CEO of CrowdStrike, also issued the following statement on X:

“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. We further recommend organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”

As folks on X pointed out in the replies, the statement from Kurtz did not include an apology for the issue that caused a meltdown for major industries like banking, air travel, and medical services. Later, in an interview with TODAY, Kurtz more conciliatory.

He said the company was “deeply sorry for the impact that we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected by this.” But, Kurtz also noted, the problem could last a while.

“It could be some time for some systems that just automatically won’t recover,” he said.

Around midday Friday, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella put out a statement of his own.

“Yesterday, CrowdStrike released an update that began impacting IT systems globally,” Nadella wrote on X. “We are aware of this issue and are working closely with CrowdStrike and across the industry to provide customers technical guidance and support to safely bring their systems back online.”