CrowdStrike's Strikeout |
Texas-based cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike yesterday blamed a bug in its software for Friday's outage. In analyzing last week's crash, the company outlined its plans to prevent a reoccurrence, including staggering future software updates.
CrowdStrike's update, designed to fix a gap in malware security, was released simultaneously across all devices carrying its Falcon software. A bug in the code, however, caused an estimated 8.5 million Microsoft Windows devices to crash in what was the largest IT outage in history (see explanation here). The blackout led to technology failures across a variety of sectors, including hospital data systems, flights, and more, and costing Fortune 500 companies an estimated $5.4B. The company's CEO has been called to testify before Congress. |
