Microsoft users were left without service on Friday after a Crowdstike security update went wrong. The outage affected banks, trains, and airlines around the world.
Windows computers and tablets have crashed in many countries, including the U.S., China, and Australia. Social media has been flooded with reports about forced restarts.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Microsoft employees and other technology professionals who were familiar with the issue said that it appeared like an update by CrowdStrike was to blame. Many cited an error related to Crowdstrike and a workaround that was intended to delete a CrowdStrike File.
In premarket trading, CrowdStrike’s shares fell by nearly 14 percent. Microsoft fell 2.4%.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to an inquiry for comment.
George Kurtz, CrowdStrike’s Chief Executive Officer, said on X in a blog post that the problem had been identified and a solution had been implemented. He added, “This was not a cyberattack or a security issue.”
Don’t worry, though. Soon, the IT guy with the RedBull and neckbeard will be there.
