Nearly a billion computers are rendered unusable globally, most of them in corporate environments.
This is not a simple case of an online service being down for a few hours. Each affected computer requires a reboot in fail-safe mode and the manual removal of a driver.
Corporate-issued computers typically don't allow employees to perform these tasks themselves. Even if they did, imagine the difficulties faced by numerous employees who struggle with basic file management.
What is BSOD?
BSOD stands for "Blue Screen of Death," which is a critical error screen displayed by Microsoft Windows operating systems when the system encounters a fatal system error.
It usually requires the system to be restarted.
If you're experiencing this issue, it often indicates a serious problem with your computer's hardware or software.
CrowdStrike Software Glitch
Banks, airlines, television networks, and health systems worldwide that depend on Microsoft 365 apps experienced extensive outages early Friday due to an issue with the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike's software.
This led to the cancellation of thousands of flights and train services globally, including over 1,800 in the U.S., and disrupted numerous other public and retail services.
Cause of the Outages
The problem stemmed from a technical issue in CrowdStrike's software, which the company quickly identified and worked to resolve. Microsoft confirmed that a CrowdStrike update caused the widespread IT system failures.
By Friday evening, Microsoft announced that mitigation actions were completed and impacted Microsoft 365 apps and services had recovered, though they would continue to monitor the situation.
CrowdStrike's CEO, George Kurtz, reassured that the issue was not a security incident or cyberattack. He confirmed that the problem had been isolated and a fix had been deployed.
Impact on Services
The outages led to the cancellation of over 3,000 flights within the U.S. and delays of more than 11,400 others. Globally, over 42,000 flights were delayed. The Department of Homeland Security noted that the outage impacted many businesses but was not a cyberattack. Various cities and services, including hospitals, faced significant disruptions, with manual operations replacing automated systems
Hospitals in Germany canceled elective surgeries, and healthcare providers in the U.K. faced booking system issues. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services assessed the impact on patient care and systems.
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