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A massive technology outage disrupted businesses and institutions across multiple countries on Friday, affecting airports, airlines, rail companies, government services, banks, stock exchanges, supermarkets, telecoms, health systems, and media outlets.
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The disruption stemmed from an update to a product offered by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which caused machines running the Microsoft Windows operating system to crash. CrowdStrike’s “Falcon Sensor” software led to the infamous “Blue Screen of Death,” rendering systems inoperable.
In the United States, major airlines such as Delta, United, and American Airlines were grounded due to a communication issue, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Similar disruptions were reported in Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines, where flight information screens went blank and airport services were affected.
CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz clarified that the outage was not a security or cyber incident. “We understand the gravity of the situation and are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption. We are working with all impacted customers to ensure that systems are back up and they can deliver the services their customers are counting on,” he wrote on X.
