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Update from erroneous US cybersecurity firm causes major global IT outage

A suspended self-check-in kiosk at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in Toronto, Canada, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

SAN FRANCISCO, July 19 (Xinhua) — A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations early Friday morning, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses around the world.

U.S. federal airspace officials on Friday announced a nationwide ground halt to air traffic due to the disruptions. Airlines and airports in Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Japan, India and Singapore also reported problems with check-in and ticketing systems, resulting in flight delays.

A message from the Alaska State Troopers states that many call centers are “not functioning properly in the state of Alaska.”

The crash reports involved the cloud-based security service ‘Falcon Sensor’, CrowdStrike said,

CEO George Kurtz confirmed in a post on X that a “defect” in a content update for Windows hosts had caused the outage.

“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,” Kurtz said on X.

“This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been implemented. We are referring customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide full and ongoing updates on our website,” he noted.

“We further encourage organizations to ensure they communicate with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the safety and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”

A post on CrowdStrike’s support forums acknowledged the issue early Friday, saying the company had received reports of crashes related to a content update. Its enterprise apps are still experiencing disruptions, according to the Service Health Status of its enterprise cloud services.

CrowdStrike has nearly 60 percent of the Fortune 500 and more than half of the Fortune 1,000 as customers, according to its website. It went public in 2019 and moved its headquarters from California’s Silicon Valley to Austin in 2021.

Shares of CrowdStrike fell about 18 percent in premarket trading on Friday. CrowdStrike had a market capitalization of $83.48 billion at market close on Thursday.

“We believe cybersecurity products must meet higher standards of reliability and security in customer deployments than other technology products because they are mission-critical and actively targeted by adversaries,” Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in a research report on Friday.

People wait for the check-in system to resume at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in Toronto, Canada, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

A screen showing unchanged flight information is seen at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in Toronto, Canada, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

The arrivals hall empty of passengers at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in Toronto, Canada, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

Porter Airlines employees wait at check-in counters at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in Toronto, Canada, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning has affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

A Porter Airlines employee displays an online notification about the airline’s cancellation at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport in Toronto, Canada, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

Passengers at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)

Passengers at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike early Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)

Passengers at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike early Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)

Passengers at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike early Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)

Passengers at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike early Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua)

Passengers wait at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

Passengers wait at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

Passengers wait at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

Passengers wait at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

Passengers wait at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

Passengers wait at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, resulting in a major IT outage,g out bnanks, airlines and companies worldwide. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

Passengers wait at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

Passengers wait at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

Passengers wait at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

Passengers wait at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

Passengers wait at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

Passengers wait at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Mexico, on July 19, 2024. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Friday morning affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations, causing a major IT outage that has crippled banks, airlines and businesses worldwide. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua)

(Web editors: Peng Yukai, Wu Chaolan)

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