What we know about the Microsoft-CrowdStrike bug that crippled businesses around the world

Planes grounded, London Stock Exchange disrupted, hospitals hit: hundreds of businesses are reporting outages or disruptions.

A computer outage is crippling many businesses and infrastructure around the world on Friday, July 19. The problem affects computer systems that run CrowdStrike software with Microsoft’s Windows operating system.

Grounded planes, media telecommunications problems, London Stock Exchange disrupted, hospitals hit: hundreds of companies are reporting outages or disruptions. Here’s what we know about it.

Software provided by CrowdStrike company called into question

Many companies reported Friday morning that their computer systems were down or experiencing disruptions. Servers and computers could no longer start, preventing all activity.

According to many IT experts, the outage is due to a technical problem between Microsoft’s Windows operating system and software published by the company CrowdStrike, which specializes in cybersecurity. The software in question, called Falcon, is an EDR, for endpoint detection and response : this technology allows real-time monitoring of all servers and computers in a computer system, such as that of a company, to prevent breakdowns and possible cyberattacks.

The current bug, which is believed to be related to a Falcon update, prevents Windows computers from opening and launching. Upon startup, they display a blue screen that indicates a system error, dubbed blue screen of death (“blue screen of death”) by computer scientists around the world.

In France, the government center for monitoring, alerting and responding to computer attacks specifies that at this stage, “There is no evidence that this incident is linked to an attack”.

“The problem is identified” and is “under correction”assured the boss of CrowdStrike on the X platform at midday.

Hundreds of businesses affected

The outage is disrupting many businesses across all sectors. Airlines and airport infrastructure have reported that their IT systems have been affected. This is the case for KLM, Transavia and Ryanair, as well as the airports of Berlin, Amsterdam, Zurich, London Heathrow and all Spanish airports. The disruptions have grounded planes and caused numerous delays, including for airlines that are not directly affected.

Air France explains that its flight operations are “disrupted in certain stopovers”, but that flights already in progress are not affected. Flights departing and arriving at the Parisian platforms of Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly are operating normally, according to the website of the ADP group, manager of Parisian airports.

Hospitals are also affected in the Netherlands. In the Paris region, the outage has not, at this stage, caused any problems in public hospitals, AP-HP said.

However, several French companies and structures are affected. The TF1 and Canal+ channels have stated that the bug is disrupting the broadcasting of their programs. The Olympic Games organization informed franceinfo that the outage is affecting “Paris 2024 IT activities”notably “the issuance of uniforms and accreditations”but not the ticket office. The Saint-Gobain group, a manufacturer of construction materials, confirmed to franceinfo that its IT teams are working to resolve the problem and are implementing “the necessary security measures”.

The London Stock Exchange was also affected. In Australia, the outage affected ABC television and self-service checkout terminals, as well as telecommunications centres.

Economic consequences for markets and for CrowdStrike

Global stock markets are showing a drop in results on Friday. Beyond the economic and political uncertainties that have weighed on the markets for several weeks, the giant breakdown is affecting the share prices of the companies concerned. “Airlines fell about 2-3% due to massive computer outages that also affected some media outlets and banks; stocks in these sectors are also down in a broad pullback” stock markets, Finalto analyst Neil Wilson told AFP.

Shares in the American group CrowdStrike, implicated in the computer failure, fell by almost 20% in electronic trading before the opening of the New York Stock Exchange, adds AFP.