CrowdStrike's Falcon Sensor software caused Microsoft Windows crash

File photo

A global tech failure disrupted operations across multiple industries on Friday, halting flights and forcing a number of broadcasters off-air, as the outage upended everything from banking to healthcare systems.

WHAT HAPPENED?

CrowdStrike, a US cybersecurity company, is among the most popular in the world, counting more than 20,000 subscription customers around the world.

According to an alert sent by CrowdStrike to its clients and reviewed by Reuters, its widely-used "Falcon Sensor" software is causing Microsoft Windows to crash and display a blue screen, known informally as the “Blue Screen of Death”.

The alert also shared a manual workaround to resolve the issue.

WHY DID IT HAPPEN?

"The damage to business processes at the global level is dramatic. The glitch is due to a software update of CrowdStrike's EDR product," said Omer Grossman, Chief Information Officer at identity security firm CyberArk.

EDR, or Endpoint Detection and Response, is a cybersecurity product that companies place on their clients' computers to help defend them from hackers. That software, which runs in the background on clients' machines, or endpoints, is used by cybersecurity firms to monitor for signs of attack on their clients' networks.

"It turns out that because the endpoints have crashed - the Blue Screen of Death - they cannot be updated remotely and the problem must be solved manually, endpoint by endpoint. This is expected to be a process that will take days," he added.

WHO HAS BEEN IMPACTED?

The global tech outage has affected operations in different sectors internationally including at multiple European airports, US airlines and Australian media and banks.

The governments of Australia, New Zealand, and a number of US states are facing issues, while American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and Allegiant Air grounded flights citing communication problems.

In Britain, Sky News, one of the country's major television news channels, was off air on Friday.

WHY ARE SO MANY IMPACTED?

With the move to the cloud and with companies owning huge market shares, their software is running on millions of computers around the world.

"The damage to business processes at the global level is dramatic," said Grossman.

More from Business

  • Tesla warns it could face retaliatory tariffs

    US automaker Tesla has warned that it and other major American exporters are exposed to retaliatory tariffs that could be leveled in response to President Donald Trump's aggressive use of tariffs.

  • Abu Dhabi Fund for Development launches luxury hotel project in Egypt

    The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) has announced the launch of the “Sofitel Legend Pyramids Giza” project, a luxury five-star hotel intended to be a landmark addition to the hospitality and tourism sector in Egypt.

  • UAEFTS processes AED 19.89 trillion in transactions in 2024

    The value of transactions conducted in the banking sector within the country through the UAE Funds Transfer System (UAEFTS) rose to AED 19.898 trillion during 2024, according to the latest statistics from the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE).

  • DEWA contributes AED 20m to Fathers’ Endowment campaign

    Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) announced a contribution of AED 20 million to the Fathers' Endowment campaign, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai.

  • DP World reports record $20 bln revenue in 2024

    DP World has announced revenue grew by 9.7 per cent to $20 billion (AED 73.5 billion), and adjusted EBITDA rose by 6.7 per cent to $5.5 billion (AED 20.2 billion), with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 27.2 per cent for the year ending December 31, 2024.