A faulty software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has triggered a widespread IT outage, affecting major banks, supermarkets, airlines, and other businesses across the globe, including Australia.
Computers running Microsoft software have been hit by the glitch, displaying “blue-screen of death” error messages and causing disruptions to operations.
NewsNGR reported the outage which has caused chaos, with many businesses forced to shut down operations temporarily.
According to sources, early indications suggest that rolling back the update will resolve the issue, and testing is currently underway. However, experts warn that the centralized supply chain for computing will likely cause headaches for days to come.
Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and is taking mitigation action, but the exact cause of the problem is still unknown.
Here’s the full statement from George Kurtz, the CEO of Crowdstrike:
“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.
“We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website.
“We further recommend organisations ensure they’re communicating with Crowdstrike representatives through official channels.
“Our team is fully mobilised to ensure the security and stability of Crowdstrike customers.”