Huge Microsoft Windows outage disrupts services globally

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A bad CrowdStrike update is taking key digital services to a standstill.

A blue screen of death on Windows 11
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • A global disruption is causing "Blue Screen of Death" (BSOD) errors on Windows PCs, affecting essential services like financial institutions, air travel, media, retail, rail services, and emergency response networks.
  • The disruption stems from a flawed CrowdStrike update, causing Windows PCs to enter a reboot loop.
  • Microsoft acknowledges the disruption and expects a quick fix, but CrowdStrike needs to resolve the issue.

A global wave of disruptions is crippling essential services due to a widespread Microsoft Windows malfunction causing the dreaded "Blue Screen of Death" (BSOD) errors.

Critical sectors like financial institutions, air travel, media, retail, rail services, and emergency response networks, including the US 911 system and Australia's government calls for emergency meetings, are severely impacted, according to The Spectator Index.

The global disruption is due to a botched update from CrowdStrike, causing Windows PCs and servers to get stuck in a reboot loop, The Washington Post reports. Many businesses worldwide rely on CrowdStrike for managing the security of their Windows PCs and servers.

Microsoft said it recognizes the ongoing disruption and expects a quick fix, as reported by Windows Central. However, it's up to CrowdStrike to resolve the issue.

In response to the global outage, George Kurtz, CEO of CrowdStrike, released a statement acknowledging the disruption and confirming that they are working with customers to restore systems.

"CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts," Kurtz wrote in a post on X. "Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted."

Kurtz emphasized that this incident is not a security breach or cyberattack. Fortunately, CrowdStrike quickly identified the problematic update and implemented a rollback. The company has also provided a temporary solution for those experiencing system disruptions:

  1. "Boot Windows into Safe Mode or the Windows Recovery Environment
  2. "Navigate to the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CrowdStrike directory
  3. "Locate the file matching 'C-0000029*.sys', and delete it.
  4. "Boot the host normally."

That said, with machines affected globally, fixing this issue will take a lot of time, even though a solution is available.

How does this outage impact your Android phone?

CrowdStrike's security tools, like CrowdStrike Falcon, help organizations see threats in real-time. This lets the firm act quickly to put strong security measures in place, giving it a big advantage in the constantly changing world of cybersecurity.

The current outage only affects CrowdStrike on Windows systems. Other tools, like Falcon for Mobile, are still fully operational. It's designed to spot threats on iOS and Android phones, offer real-time insights, and close security gaps that could lead to breaches.

CrowdStrike's flawed update only affects Windows PCs, but since many businesses run on Windows, it could cause problems today. You might not be able to board your flight or pay for your prescription at the pharmacy with your phone, which has become pretty standard.

Jay Bonggolto
Jay Bonggolto
News Writer & Reviewer

Jay Bonggolto always keeps a nose for news. He has been writing about consumer tech and apps for as long as he can remember, and he has used a variety of Android phones since falling in love with Jelly Bean. Send him a direct message via Twitter or LinkedIn.

3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • joeldf
    Yep. It hit the computers in my office.

    Only a few were spared that were off when the update was sent. My work PC was on and stuck at the "recovery" screen this morning.

    I'm working from home and my personal PC is fine, and the VPN to the office is fine. It's just that the work computer itself is not. There are people in the office that confirmed it.
    Reply
  • SvenJ
    How is the headline in all these 'Microsoft Windows outage'? Yes I get that it only affects Windows PCs but the cause is botched CrowdStrike Falcon update. This is software that is supposed to protect PCs. Not sure how MS is supposed to protect you from the protector. If it was that good, you wouldn't need, or want, CrowdStrike Falcon.
    Reply
  • joeldf
    SvenJ said:
    How is the headline in all these 'Microsoft Windows outage'? Yes I get that it only affects Windows PCs but the cause is botched CrowdStrike Falcon update. This is software that is supposed to protect PCs. Not sure how MS is supposed to protect you from the protector. If it was that good, you wouldn't need, or want, CrowdStrike Falcon.
    It's mainly corporate run IT controlled/managed systems. Remember that most of the hacks these days are now on company servers - ransomware attacks that shut down hospital, school, or police department systems.

    Crowdstrike is supposed to mitigate those kinds of attacks that get in because a worker clicks on the wrong email and downloads something they shouldn't have.

    Because the CSAgent and similar files are system file, and part of the network management, it can get updated independent of the Windows system. And that's what apparently happened here.

    Usually, they go through MS before updating anything. And do it in waves, just in case something is wrong with the update. But someone had an itchy trigger finger and pressed the button on updating all at once - bugs be darned.

    Well, I wouldn't want to be the person that initiated that command today. I'm sure he or she has already been shown the door.

    Unless it was a manager who said "eh... it's good enough... just 'update all'".
    Reply