NEW YORK: Microsoft has said that a software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused disruptions affecting nearly 8.5 million Windows devices worldwide, leading to significant economic and societal impacts.
In a blog post, Microsoft stated, “We currently estimate that CrowdStrike’s update affected 8.5 million Windows devices, or less than one percent of all Windows machines.”
The incident, stemming from a routine software update by CrowdStrike, a major player in the cybersecurity industry, resulted in widespread system failures. The outage grounded flights, forced broadcasters off the air, and disrupted essential services including healthcare and banking.
“While the percentage was small, the broad economic and societal impacts reflect the use of CrowdStrike by enterprises that run many critical services,” Microsoft stated in its blog post.
To address the issue, CrowdStrike collaborated with Microsoft’s Azure infrastructure to expedite a solution. Microsoft also engaged with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform, sharing insights to mitigate the effects across the industry.
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The air travel sector, notably affected by the outage, struggled to recover throughout Saturday. Thousands of flights were cancelled, leaving passengers stranded or facing prolonged delays. Delta Air Lines, among the most severely impacted carriers, reported over 600 flight cancellations by 10 a.m EDT (1400 GMT) on Saturday, with expectations of further disruptions.
