CrowdStrike says “a fix has been deployed” after the US cybersecurity firm caused a global IT outage that saw computers running Microsoft Windows operating systems go offline and Australian airports, banks and supermarkets brought to a standstill on Friday afternoon.
Key Takeaways
- A widespread outage in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem was confirmed by Microsoft on Friday afternoon.
- CrowdStrike president George Kurtz issued a statement in the hours following, stating the problem was caused by a “defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts”.
- Kurtz insisted it was not a security incident or cyber attack and that a fix has been deployed.
- Jetstar, Qantas, Woolworths, Coles, ABC, Telstra, The Australian, and Network 10 were among the companies impacted.
- Cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt described the incident as “the largest IT outage in history”.
- Airport check-in services at Sydney and Adelaide Airports have been impacted. All Jetstar flights were cancelled until 2am Saturday.
- The outage was not contained to Australia, with the US cancelling upwards of 1,500 flights.
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says government is working with the National Cyber Security Coordinator, and the National Coordination Mechanism has been activated.
What caused the outage?
CrowdStrike president George Kurtz said the problem was caused by a “defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts”.
“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed,” Kurtz said.
Key Background
Microsoft told Forbes Australia that the outage is impacting Windows machines. “We’re aware of an issue affecting Windows devices due to an update from a third-party software platform. We anticipate a resolution is forthcoming,” says a Microsoft spokesperson.
Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) acknowledged the technical issues and says the information it has indicates the outage is because of a third-party software platform. The NCSC states that there is no information to suggest a cyber security incident and that it is actively engaging with key stakeholders.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also made a statement, confirming that no triple-zero services have been impacted, and there has been no impact to critical infrastructure.
“I understand Australians are concerned about the outage that is unfolding globally and affecting a wide range of services,” Prime Minister Albanese stated. “My Government is working closely with the National Cyber Security Coordinator. The National Coordination Mechanism has been activated and is meeting now.”
Related
Media companies in Australia are among the organisations experiencing outages. The Australian made a statement on X confirming it was impacted, and Channel 10’s The Project posted to Instagram that if its live program does not make it to air tonight, episodes of the Simpsons would take its place.
Microsoft published a statement on its website noting that the outage is ongoing.
“We have completed our mitigation efforts to address the configuration change within the Azure service which contributed to this incident. We appreciate your organisation’s patience while we work on addressing residual impact amongst our Microsoft 365 apps and services,” a Microsoft statement reads.
Crucial Quote
“I don’t think it’s too early to call it: this will be the largest IT outage in history… This is basically what we were all worried about with Y2K, except it’s actually happened this time,” said cybersecurity consultant Troy Hunt.
Businesses go offline
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