CrowdStrike Update to Windows Security Caused a Tech Meltdown

A Windows security update from CrowdStrike has created massive outages and system failures across the globe.

The update, which went out in the wee hours of Friday morning, seems to be breaking cloud service for Windows hosts, knocking out systems that control everything from airlines to emergency services and more. CrowdStrike supposedly issued a fix for the issue around 9 AM ET, however, outages are still happening.

Among the services being affected are airlines—one article claims nearly 1,400 flights have been canceled due to the issue. Meanwhile, emergency services in some states are experiencing issues, and even enterprises are experiencing the BSOD (blue screen of death) that seems to be the result of this glitch.

Gearoge Kurtz, CEO of CrowdStrike posted an update on X, which users quickly criticized because there was no apology attached. However, if the update is to be believed, the repair is in place, it's just a matter of companies working through the consequences of the failure. How long that could take is unknowable at this point.

The problem is that many computer systems in our global economy depend on many other computer systems, so if anywhere in that chain, there's one system that has not yet been repaired, it could create an issue further down the line. It could take some time to track and update every system that has been affected by this glitch.

Even banks and retail companies have experienced difficulties from this issue. So, if you're experiencing long delays today, here's the explanation. Just remember, the service people you're dealing with didn't cause the problem.