Current:Home > MarketsA massive tech outage is causing worldwide disruptions. Here’s what we know-LoTradeCoin
A massive tech outage is causing worldwide disruptions. Here’s what we know
View Date:2024-12-23 15:16:37
Live updates: Follow AP’s latest coverage of the global outage.
NEW YORK (AP) — Much of the world faced online disarray Friday as a widespread technology outage affected companies and services across industries — grounding flights, knocking banks and hospital systems offline and media outlets off air.
At the heart of the massive disruption is CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm that provides software to scores of companies worldwide. The company says the problem occurred when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows, noting that the issue behind the outage was not a security incident or cyberattack.
CrowdStrike has said a fix is on the way. Still, chaos deepened hours after the problem was first detected.
Here’s what you need to know.
How did Friday’s global outage happen?
Friday’s disruptions began when a faulty update was pushed out from CrowdStrike for one of its tools, “Falcon.” In a statement about the ongoing situation, the company said the defect was found “in a single content update for Windows hosts” — noting that Mac and Linux systems were not impacted.
But, because scores of companies rely on CrowdStrike for their security needs with Windows as their operating system, the consequences of this kind of technical problem have been far-reaching.
Long lines formed at airports in the U.S., Europe and Asia as airlines lost access to check-in and booking services during peak summer travel — disrupting thousands of flights. Banks in South Africa and New Zealand reported outages impacting payments and online services. Some news stations, particuarly in Australia, were unable to broadcast for hours. And hospitals had problems with their appointment systems, leading to delays and sometimes cancelations for critical care, while officials in some U.S. states warned of 911 problems in their areas.
Elsewhere, people experienced more minor inconveniences, including trouble ordering ahead at Starbucks, causing long lines at some of the coffee chain’s stores. Some billboards in New York City’s famous Times Square also went dark.
Experts stress that Friday’s disruptions underscore the vulnerability of worldwide dependence on software that comes from only a handful of providers.
“It is an ‘all our eggs are in one basket’ situation,” Craig Shue, professor and computer science department head at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, said in emailed commentary. “This lets us make sure our ‘basket’ is high quality: the software provider tries to identify threats and respond to them quickly. But at the same time, if anything goes wrong and the basket fails, we have a lot of broken eggs.”
What is CrowdStrike?
CrowdStrike is a U.S. cybersecurity company that provides software to companies around the world and across industries. It bills itself as being the globe’s most advanced cloud-based security technology provider.
“We stop breaches,” the cybersecurity firm writes on its website.
According to the company’s website, CrowdStrike was founded in 2011 and launched in early 2012. CrowdStrike listed on the Nasdaq exchange five years ago. Last month, the Austin, Texas company reported that its revenue rose 33% in the latest quarter from the same quarter a year earlier — logging a net profit of $42.8 million, up from $491,000 in the first quarter of last year.
CrowdStrike has a partnership with Amazon Web Services and its “Falcon for Defender” security technology is designed to supplement Microsoft Defender to prevent attacks.
Is there a fix?
Disruptions on Friday have continued hours after CrowdStrike first identified the issue. But both the company and Microsoft say that they’re working to get systems back online.
In an emailed statement, Crowdstrike said that it was “actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts” — adding that a fix “had been deployed” for the identified issue.
Microsoft spokesperson Frank X. Shaw said that the company was “actively supporting customers to assist in their recovery.” Both CrowdStrike and Microsoft are also appearing to engage IT personnel on official online channels, such as Reddit.
While the problem is fixable, it requires some expertise. Some cybersecurity experts warn of bad actors who may reach out claiming they can help. Smaller companies or organizations with less IT resources are particularly at risk.
Gartner analyst Eric Grenier noted that those impacted should make sure they’re talking to trusted organizations as they work towards recovery. “Attackers will definitely prey on organizations as a result of this,” he said.
veryGood! (27372)
Related
- Surprise bids revive hope for offshore wind in Gulf of Mexico after feds cancel lease sale
- Kim Zolciak Shares Message on Letting Go in 2024 Amid Kroy Biermann Divorce
- Is California Overstating the Climate Benefit of Dairy Manure Methane Digesters?
- Michael Pittman Jr. clears protocol again; Colts WR hopeful for return Sunday
- NCT DREAM enters the 'DREAMSCAPE': Members on new album, its concept and songwriting
- Revelers set to pack into Times Square for annual New Year’s Eve ball drop
- North Dakota lawmaker’s district GOP echoes call on him to resign after slurs to police in DUI stop
- The Color Purple premieres with sold-out showings in Harlem
- Bull doge! Dogecoin soars as Trump announces a government efficiency group nicknamed DOGE
- Kathy Griffin files for divorce from husband of almost 4 years: 'This sucks'
Ranking
- Nicole Kidman Reveals the Surprising Reason for Starring in NSFW Movie Babygirl
- NFL on Saturday: Dallas Cowboys vs. Detroit Lions with playoff seeding at stake
- For transgender youth in crisis, hospitals sometimes compound the trauma
- After Mel Tucker firing at Michigan State, investigation unable to find source of leaks
- New 'Yellowstone' is here: Season 5 Part 2 premiere date, time, where to watch
- Broadway actor, dancer and choreographer Maurice Hines dies at 80
- A woman who burned Wyoming’s only full-service abortion clinic is ordered to pay $298,000
- Happy birthday, LeBron! With 40 just around the corner, you beat Father Time
Recommendation
-
Satire publication The Onion acquires Alex Jones' Infowars at auction
-
Gunmen kill 6 people, wound 26 others in attack on party in northern Mexico border state
-
Judge blocks most of an Iowa law banning some school library books and discussion of LGBTQ+ issues
-
Alex Murdaugh’s pursuit of a new murder trial is set for an evidentiary hearing next month
-
California farmers enjoy pistachio boom, with much of it headed to China
-
Feds to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on his new immigration law: Enforce it and we'll sue
-
Bacon bits: Wendy's confirms one cent Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger offer has limit
-
Ice-fishing 'bus' crashes through ice on Minnesota lake, killing 1 man