A software update glitch at CrowdStrike, a prominent cybersecurity firm, triggered widespread chaos across the globe on Friday, July 19.

Anadolu Agency

Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

Tech

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

Jul 19, 2024

Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Ian Kennedy (Lead Video Editor)

In what cybersecurity experts are calling “the largest IT outage in history,” a software update glitch at CrowdStrike, a prominent cybersecurity firm, triggered widespread chaos across the globe on Friday, July 19. The incident resulted in critical systems going offline at airports, banks, hospitals and businesses worldwide. The outage affected services like credit card payments, public transportation, TV broadcasts and even 911 emergency lines.

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CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz addressed the public on the “Today Show,” apologizing for the extensive impact caused by the incident.

“We’re deeply sorry for the impact that we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone impacted by this including our company,” Kurtz said, emphasizing CrowdStrike’s commitment to assisting affected parties in restoring their services.

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The disruption, attributed solely to a software update error rather than a cyberattack, underscores vulnerabilities inherent in digital infrastructure. While CrowdStrike resolved the glitch, the focus now shifts to restoring the downed systems and returning normalcy to a tech-dependent world.

Founded in Texas, CrowdStrike serves a dual role: providing cybersecurity software to over 29,000 customers, including more than 500 Fortune 1000 companies, and conducting investigations into major cyber incidents. The company gained prominence for its role in investigating the 2016 Russian hack of the Democratic National Committee, among other high-profile cases.

In response to the outage, CrowdStrike’s stock saw a notable decline, falling by as much as 15% in pre-market trading.

Tags: National Security, Tech, Texas

[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.