Crowdstrike's Faulty Microsoft Windows Update Gets Slammed By US Cybersecurity Official: 'Was A Huge Deal

Benzinga

2024-07-22 06:22

A flawed update from CrowdStrike caused a global IT outage and attracted criticism from U.S. cybersecurity official Jen Easterly, who called it a “serious mistake” with widespread impacts on critical infrastructure.

　　The flawed update from CrowdStrike Holdings Inc.CRWD, which led to a global IT outage, has attracted criticism from a leading U.S. cybersecurity official.

　　What Happened: In a LinkedInpost on Saturday, Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, labeled the faulty software update as a “serious mistake.”

　　The incident “was a huge deal with serious impacts on critical infrastructure operations across the world,” she stated, adding, “While it wasn't malicious, it was a serious mistake, one for which CEO George Kurtz took full responsibility, apologized, and committed to resolving collaboratively,”

　　See Also: Windows PCs Crash Worldwide With Users Experiencing Blue Screen Of Death Issue, CrowdStrike Confirms Defect: ‘Fix Has Been Deployed’

　　She went on to say that disruptions from technology outages or cyber-attacks, including those by Chinese actors, are inevitable. Organizations must anticipate and plan for these events, designing resilient systems and training personnel to manage them.

　　Moreover, governments and critical infrastructure entities must enhance resilience to ensure swift response and recovery, minimizing disruption to essential services, Easterly said.

　　The LinkedIn post was first spotted by Bloomberg.

　　Why It Matters: The defective update impacted approximately 8.5 million devices globally that run on theMicrosoft CorporationsMSFTWindowssystem.

　　The update had a profound effect on businesses and governments worldwide, causing disruptions in critical infrastructure operations.

　　Following the incident, CrowdStrike experienced a significant decline in its stock price. The company is currently assisting affected customers due to a flaw discovered in a specific content update for Windows hosts.

　　Image Via Shutterstock

　　Disclaimer:This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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