CrowdStrike Software Update Leads to Global Computer Outage

Initial Investigation Points to Software Defect

A global computer outage that affected airports, banks, and other businesses on Friday appears to have been caused by a software update issued by cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. The company's CEO, George Kurtz, said in an initial statement that CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in the update.

CrowdStrike Update Targeted at Protecting Customers

The update, which was intended to protect customers against newly discovered vulnerabilities, instead caused a cascade effect among global networks. CrowdStrike spokesperson Rick Jenkins said the company believes the issue stems from a fault in the update that was pushed out to customers.

The company is still investigating the full extent of the outage, which affected organizations in North America, Europe, and Asia. CrowdStrike said the outage was not caused by a cyberattack.