CrowdStrike Update Causes ‘Largest IT Outage in History’

A CrowdStrike software update shut down over 8.5 million devices using Microsoft Windows operating systems last Friday. Businesses around the world were forced offline.

CrowdStrike, the world’s largest cybersecurity provider, said the outage was caused by a flaw in its update that caused Windows computers to crash. The company’s chief executive, George Kurtz, explained that the problem was not a cyberattack.

Global impact: Airports across the globe were forced to ground thousands of flights, with Dutch airline klm explaining the outage made “flight handling impossible.”

Hospitals and medical centers were also forced to cancel operations or turn away patients. Clinics in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States canceled all nonurgent surgeries, and the UK’s National Health Service’s booking system crashed.

Emergency 911 lines went down in at least five U.S. states: Alaska, Arizona, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Ohio.

Other businesses also experienced IT problems, including:

• Train stations
• Banks
• TV and radio broadcasters
• Supermarkets
• Retail stores

Elon Musk wrote on X that this was the “biggest IT fail ever.” Security consultant Troy Hunt said in a post, “This will be the largest IT outage in history.”

Danger: This outage shows the vulnerabilities of society’s dependence on technology. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has warned about these dangers, particularly the threat of the development of artificial intelligence.

Learn more: Read “The Unknown Future of Artificial Intelligence.”