What is CrowdStrike and why it caused global IT outage
Faulty cybersecurity updates are crippling banks, airlines, and other major companies around the world (Photo: Getty Images)
On July 19, 2024, the world faced a severe technological malfunction that paralyzed the operations of companies across various industries. It appears that the root cause was a faulty update from the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.
RBC-Ukraine explains what CrowdStrike is and why it caused a major technological breakdown.
Contents
- What is CrowdStrike
- Why the malfunction occurred
- Reactions from the two companies
- Consequences of the global malfunction
- How to fix the blue screen error in Windows
What is CrowdStrike
CrowdStrike is a leading cybersecurity company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2011, the company provides cloud workload protection, endpoint security, threat analysis, and cyberattack response services.
Their Falcon platform combines antivirus, endpoint detection and response (EDR), and managed threat hunting, making it a popular choice for companies of all sizes. However, on July 19, their reputation suffered.
According to news and social media reports, a recent CrowdStrike update caused numerous blue screen of death (BSoD) errors on Windows PCs. This critical error rendered computers unusable, effectively paralyzing the operations of countless businesses.
Moreover, it seems that Microsoft also faced a separate malfunction with its Azure services and Microsoft 365 suite. "Users may not have access to various Microsoft 365 apps and services," they wrote. It’s unclear whether these issues are related to CrowdStrike's problem.
Why the malfunction occurred
While CrowdStrike acknowledged the problem and rolled back the update, the exact cause of the malfunction remains unclear. Cybersecurity experts believe the update may have contained an error that conflicted with Windows systems.
Reactions from the two companies
Neither CrowdStrike nor Microsoft has officially confirmed a direct link between the update and the malfunction. CrowdStrike issued a statement acknowledging the BSoD reports and said it managed to identify and roll back the problematic deployment. However, the statement did not provide details about the cause of the malfunction.
Microsoft is also investigating a separate service malfunction that coincided with the CrowdStrike issue, though it’s unclear whether the two events are related.
Consequences of the global malfunction
The global IT system malfunction, likely caused by the CrowdStrike update, led to significant disruptions and potential financial losses.
Airlines such as Delta and Frontier were forced to cancel flights, while the London Stock Exchange and media companies like Sky News faced operational disruptions.
IT professionals worldwide scrambled to fix the issues and restore functionality, highlighting the critical infrastructure's dependence on a few software providers.
How to fix the blue screen error in Windows
- Boot Windows in safe mode or Windows recovery environment.
- Navigate to the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CrowdStrike directory.
- Find the file named "C-00000291*.sys" and delete it.
- Restart the computer or server.
It is recommended to follow the above steps until CrowdStrike resolves the issue and provides official information.
Also, read why Microsoft never released Windows 9.
Previously, we wrote about a problem found in Windows that allows your computer to be hacked through the network.
Sources: Engadget, Reuters, ZDNet, official website of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine.
