Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has responded to the biggest tech outage in history after millions of Windows users worldwide experienced the Blue Screen of Death. The outage was caused by an update to CrowdStrike ‘Falcon Sensor’.
Microsoft CEO posted an update on X and said, “Yesterday, CrowdStrike released an update that began impacting IT systems globally. We are aware of this issue and are working closely with CrowdStrike and across the industry to provide customers technical guidance and support to safely bring their systems back online.”
Yesterday, CrowdStrike released an update that began impacting IT systems globally. We are aware of this issue and are working closely with CrowdStrike and across the industry to provide customers technical guidance and support to safely bring their systems back online.
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) July 19, 2024
X CEO and Tesla Founder Elon Musk was quick to take a swipe at Mr Nadella’s update and said, “This gave a seizure to the automotive supply chain.”
Mr Musk has been posting memes and reacting to posts on X on the global outage. He reposted his 2021 post on X in which he said, “Macrohard > Microsoft”.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 19, 2024
CrowdStrike On Outage
In a statement on X, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz said that the company is working with customers who have been impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts, adding that Mac- and Linux-based systems have not been affected.
Emphasising that the outage is not a security incident or cyberattack, he wrote, “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 organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers,” he added.
Speaking to the ‘Today’ programme on NBC News later, Mr Kurtz said his company would make sure every customer is “fully recovered”.
“We are deeply sorry for the impact that we have caused to customers, to travellers, to anyone affected by this, including our company,” he was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
Outages In India
In India, almost all air carriers — Vistara, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Akasa Air — faced technical issues that affected booking, check-in, and flight updates. The airlines were checking in passengers manually.
Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu said the ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are actively managing the situation using manual methods to ensure minimal disruption. “Passengers are advised to cooperate with airport staff during this period of disruption. We have instructed all airlines and airport authorities to keep passengers informed about their flight status and provide necessary assistance,” he said.
