CrowdStrike software update failure leads to global outages for airlines, banks

On Thursday, a number of Microsoft users began reporting issues accessing various apps and services in the 365 suite. Before long, the problem had spread to impact civilians and commercial enterprises around the world, including airlines and banks. The source of the problem was traced back to a failed software update by CrowdStrike, an Austin, Texas-based cybersecurity company on which millions rely.

What ensued has been described as the "largest IT outage in history." Thousands of flights were delayed or cancelled flights, television networks, banks, and 911 call centers were shut down, and regular users' computers were rendered unusable. Everywhere, the infamous blue "Recovery" screens plagued Microsoft desktops and laptops. Apple and Linux users were unaffected.

In a statement Friday morning, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz explained that the company was "actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts," emphasizing that, "This is not a security incident or cyberattack."

"The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed," he aded. "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."

"We've completed our mitigation actions and our telemetry indicates all previously impacted Microsoft 365 apps and services have recovered," Microsoft added. "We're entering a period of monitoring to ensure impact is fully resolved. For more information, see MO821132 within the admin center."

American Airlines, which was among the carriers impacted, announced that as of 5:00 EST, it had been able to "safely re-establish" operations.

The airline offered a travel waiver for those whose plans were disrupted as a result of the CrowdStrike issue.

Across the world, airlines took measures to overcome the technical setback. One passenger in India, for example, showed off his hand-written boarding pass.