Banks, airlines and other organizations using Microsoft have reported down systems across the globe as cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike is suffering from the biggest IT outage in history. 

“CrowdStrike has identified a cybersecurity issue related to a recent update that has impacted Windows systems globally,” Gokul Mahendran, digital marketing lead at industrial automation company, Barani Generic Systems, told Bank Automation News. “This has caused disruptions leading to sudden shutdowns or restarts on affected devices.” 

Major financial institutions like Bank of America, JPMorgan, TD Bank, Visa and Wells Fargo are experiencing outages, according to DownDetector. 

Major airlines like Delta, United and American Airlines and airports are suffering from outages as well, according to DownDetector. 

Sydney Airport flight displays have all BSOD’d. #microsoft #crowdstrike pic.twitter.com/ZL9QwGdi1a

— techAU (@techAU) July 19, 2024

CrowdStrike engineering is working to rectify the situation by reverting those update changes to get systems online, Mahendran said. 

Microsoft users are reporting online a “blue screen of death” where the systems freeze and are unable to get back online. 

“This type of global outage is considered a rare event,” Mahendran said. “While tech issues can occur, the widespread impact and severity of this particular incident are not common occurrences.” 

CrowdStrike Chief Executive George Kurtz tweeted this morning that a defect was found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Apple’s Mac and Linux hosts were not impacted. 

“The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix is being deployed,” Kurtz wrote on Twitter. 

CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We…

— George Kurtz (@George_Kurtz) July 19, 2024

The decision for companies to reevaluate their partnership with CrowdStrike after this event would likely depend on the individual circumstances and experiences of each organization, Mahendran said, adding that while this incident has caused widespread disruption, “many companies may consider CrowdStrike’s response, transparency, and how they address and prevent similar issues in the future, as well as the overall value and performance of their cybersecurity solutions.” 

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