CrowdStrike bug hit 8.5 mn Windows devices, says Microsoft

WASHINGTON — Microsoft said on Saturday that the CrowdStrike update that grounded hundreds of fights around the world besides disrupting online services affected 8.5 million systems using the Windows operating software, which was less than 1 per cent of Windows devices, but the impact was disproportionately vast as it reflected the use of CrowdStrike by enterprises that run many critical services.

The IT giant said in a statement that it is “working around the clock and providing ongoing updates and support”.

“Additionally, CrowdStrike has helped us develop a scalable solution that will help Microsoft’s Azure infrastructure accelerate a fix for CrowdStrike’s faulty update,” it added.

CrowdStrike is a leading cybersecurity firm whose software update to customers on Friday impacted computer systems using Microsoft’s Windows operating system that grounded an estimated 1,400 flights, from the US to the UK to the Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong, and Dubai. It also disrupted medical and banking services and local transport systems in many American cities.

The disruptions were serious enough for the White House to say that President Joe Biden had been briefed about it and teams of US officials were in touch with private sector players to find an early resolution.

“While software updates may occasionally cause disturbances, significant incidents like the CrowdStrike event are infrequent,” Microsoft said.

“We currently estimate that CrowdStrike’s update affected 8.5 million Windows devices, or less than 1 per cent of all Windows machines. While the percentage was small, the broad economic and societal impacts reflect the use of CrowdStrike by enterprises that run many critical services,” it added.

Microsoft also said that the outage demonstrated the “interconnected nature of our broad ecosystem — global Cloud providers, software platforms, security vendors and other software vendors, and customers”.

The outage was also a reminder, the company noted, saying “it showed how important it is for all of us across the tech ecosystem to prioritise operating with safe deployment and disaster recovery using the mechanisms that exist”.