Global Microsoft Meltdown Tied to Bad Crowdstrike Update

A faulty software update from cybersecurity vendor Crowdstrike crippled countless Microsoft Windows computers across the globe today. Disrupting everything from airline travel and financial institutions to hospitals and businesses online. Crowdstrike said a fix has been deployed, but experts say the recovery from this outage could take some time.

Earlier today, an errant update shipped by Crowdstrike began causing Windows machines running the software to display the dreaded “Blue Screen of Death,” rendering those systems temporarily unusable. Like most security software, Crowdstrike requires deep hooks into the Windows operating system to fend off digital intruders. And in that environment a tiny coding error can quickly lead to catastrophic outcomes.

In a post on Twitter/X, Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz said an update to correct the coding mistake has been shipped, and that Mac and Linux systems are not affected.

“This is not a security incident or cyberattack,” Kurtz said on Twitter, echoing a written statement by Crowdstrike.

Posting to Twitter/X, the director of Crowdstrike’s threat hunting operations said the fix involves booting Windows into Safe Mode. Or the Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE), deleting the file “C-00000291*.sys” and then restarting the machine.

Matt Burgess at Wired writes that within health care and emergency services, various medical providers. Around the world have reported issues with their Windows-linked systems, sharing news on social media or their own websites.

“The US Emergency Alert System, which issues hurricane warnings, said that there had been various 911 outages in a number of states,” Burgess wrote. “Germany’s University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein said it was canceling some nonurgent surgeries at two locations.

Reactions to today’s outage were swift and brutal on social media. Many Twitter/X users chided the Crowdstrike CEO for failing to apologize for the massively disruptive event. While others noted that doing so could expose the company to lawsuits.

The Transportation Department said on Friday that U.S.-based airlines must provide affected passengers compensation for flight disruptions set off by the global software outage. That had roiled air travel, spurring thousands of delays and cancellations worldwide and in some instances, stranding travelers abroad.

Meanwhile, the international Windows outage quickly became the most talked-about subject on Twitter/X. Whose artificial intelligence bots collated a series of parody posts from cybersecurity professionals pretending to be on their first week of work at Crowdstrike. Incredibly,Twitter/X’s AI summarized these sarcastic posts into a sunny.

“Several individuals have recently started working at the cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike. And have expressed their excitement and pride in their new roles,” the AI summary read. “They have shared their experiences of pushing code to production on their first day, And are looking forward to positive outcomes in their work.”