Blue screen in Windows: Update causes global Microsoft crash
Microsoft suffers global outages due to faulty Crowdstrike update, affecting critical services
Microsoft has reported a global flaw that has affected devices using Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365, characterized by the appearance of a blue screen on the affected computers. The company has offered several possible solutions to solve this problem. First, Microsoft suggests that affected users restart their devices, which may be enough to temporarily resolve the issue.
However, in some cases, users have had to reboot their devices up to 15 times to get them working normally again. If the problem persists after rebooting, Microsoft recommends restoring a backup or repairing the operating system disk offline.
The computer failure has had a significant impact on important services globally, disrupting public transport connections, delaying international flights and restricting the operations of healthcare facilities and companies.
The cause of the outage appears to be related to a software update issued by Crowdstrike on Microsoft Windows systems. The American cybersecurity firm told its clients that its engineers were addressing the problem, specifically in its Falcon product, designed to protect files in the cloud.
Microsoft has stated that the "underlying cause" of the outage "has been resolved," although the residual impact continues to affect some services. The company is implementing additional mitigations to provide relief. Even though some services have been restored, others are still dealing with disruptions.
Global banks, medical services and critical infrastructure have been affected by this disruption. Affected healthcare providers include the UK's National Health Service and one of Europe's largest healthcare centers in northern Germany. Banks, broadcasters and supermarkets in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, including ABC News and Sky News.
Airlines have also been severely affected, with numerous flights delayed and cancelled. There are an estimated 110,000 commercial flights scheduled worldwide, and at 6 a.m. ET on Friday, 1,390 flights had been canceled.
Crowdstrike has reported that the issue was caused by "a defect found in a single content update to its software on Microsoft Windows operating systems." The company has clarified that the outage was not caused by a security incident or a cyberattack, and that its engineers have implemented an update to fix the problem.
CrowdStrike shares fell 10% in premarket trading following the announcement of the issue.
