What is CrowdStrike? How a software glitch disrupted a tech-dependent world

[KARAH RUCKER]

“IT’S WHAT WE WERE WORRIED ABOUT WITH Y-2-K – EXCEPT IT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENED” –

THAT’S WHAT SOME CYBERSECURITY EXPERTS ARE SAYING –

AFTER WHAT IS BEING CALLED “THE LARGEST I-T OUTAGE IN HISTORY” HIT THE GLOBE FRIDAY.

ONE SOFTWARE UPDATE HICCUP AT THE CYBERSECURITY FIRM – CROWDSTRIKE – 

SENT THE GLOBE INTO CHAOS.

COMPUTER SYSTEMS DOWN AT AIRPORTS, BANKS, HOSPITALS, AND BUSINESSES WORLDWIDE.

CREDIT CARD PAYMENT SYSTEMS.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.

TV BROADCASTS.

9-1-1 EMERGENCY LINES.  

INOPERABLE.

IT’S NOT BECAUSE OF HACKERS OR SOME SORT OF CYBER ATTACK.

ACCORDING TO T CROWDSTRIKE’S CEO –

IT WAS A “SOFTWARE UPDATE” THAT WAS ABLE TO SEND WINDOWS SYSTEMS CRASHING.

THAT ISSUE HAS SINCE BEEN RESOLVED – BUT NOW ITS **RECOVERING THE DOWNED SYSTEMS THAT’S THE TASK AT HAND TO RESTORE NORMALCY IN THIS TECH-DEPENDENT WORLD.

CROWDSTRIKE’S CEO GEORGE KURTZ SPOKE WITH THE TODAY SHOW FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT – APOLOGIZING FOR WHAT HAPPENED.

[GEORGE KURTZ]

“We’re deeply sorry for the impact that we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone impacted by this including our company.”

“Now we are working with each and every customer to make sure we can bring them back online.”

[KARAH RUCKER]

SO – WHAT EVEN IS “CROWDSTRIKE”?

THE COMPANY HAS TWO PURPOSES.

ONE – SELL ITS CYBERSECURITY SOFTWARE –THAT IS HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER.

IT HAS 29 THOUSAND CUSTOMERS – WITH MORE THAN 500 ON THE LIST OF THE FORTUNE 1000.

THE OTHER BRANCH OF ITS BUSINESS? HELPING TO INVESTIGATE MAJOR HACKS.

INCLUDING ASSISTING THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AGAINST SECURITY THREATS.

IT’S A TEXAS BASED COMPANY THAT’S PLAYED A MAJOR INVESTIGATIVE ROLE IN A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF CYBERATTACKS –

INCLUDING THE HIGH PROFILE RUSSIAN HACK OF THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE DURING THE 2016 ELECTION.

IT HELPS COMPANIES **PREVENT ATTACKS –

AND ALSO HELPS IN THE **AFTERMATH OF A CYBER ATTACK

WHILE THERE WAS NO ATTACK RELATED TO THIS SOFTWARE UPDATE GLITCH –

THE MISHAP CAUSED MAJOR DISRUPTION TO MANY SECTORS –

INCLUDING AIR TRAVEL.

THIS IS A 12-HOUR TIME LAPSE SHOWING THE AIR TRAFFIC OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, DELTA, AND UNITED – SHOWING A MASSIVE SLOWDOWN AS FLIGHTS WERE GROUNDED DUE TO THE OUTAGE.

AND ON THE INSIDE OF AIRPORTS NATIONWIDE –

CHAOS. AND FRUSTRATION. THIS VIDEO TAKEN AT A LONDON AIRPORT.

AND PASSENGERS IN ROME WERE STUCK IN LONG LINES OUTSIDE –

AS THEIR FLIGHTS WERE DELAYED.

THE PROBLEMS HAPPENING DOMESTICALLY TOO –

THIS IS AN AERIAL VIEW OF A SECURITY CHECK BACKLOG OF TRAVELERS IN PHILADELPHIA.

FOLLOWING THE IT OUTAGES  –

CROWDSTRIKE’S STOCK FELL AS MUCH AS 15 PERCENT IN PRE-MARKET TRADING.