CrowdStrike apologises for global IT outage after faulty update

The cybersecurity firm faces heightened scrutiny.

 Logo, Animal, Beak, Bird

A senior executive at CrowdStrike apologised to a US House of Representatives subcommittee for a software update that caused a global IT outage in July. Adam Meyers, the company’s senior vice president for counter-adversary operations, explained that a faulty content configuration update to the Falcon Sensor security software led to widespread system crashes. Meyers assured lawmakers that CrowdStrike has reviewed its systems and is improving its update procedures to prevent future issues.

The 19 July incident, though not caused by a cyberattack or AI, led to widespread disruptions across various industries, including airlines, healthcare, media, and banks. Millions of Microsoft Windows devices were impacted, with the outage causing flight cancellations and service interruptions globally. Delta Air Lines, which cancelled 7,000 flights, is pursuing legal action against CrowdStrike, although the company denies responsibility for the airline’s losses.

In the wake of the incident, CrowdStrike lowered its revenue and profit forecasts, acknowledging that the financial impact of the faulty update could affect the company for up to a year.