CrowdStrike declare “97% of crashed systems fixed”

Following last week’s major global IT outage caused by a faulty software update from CrowdStrike, the company's CEO George Kurtz took to LinkedIn to announce that over 97% of the affected systems had been restored by 25th July.

The incident, which impacted approximately 8.5 million devices worldwide, led to disruptions across various sectors, including airlines, banking, and broadcasting.

Kurtz expressed deep regret for the disruptions, acknowledging that while significant progress had been made, around 250,000 devices remained offline. He emphasised CrowdStrike's commitment to restoring all systems and praised the tireless efforts of both customers and staff in addressing the issue.

“While I can’t promise perfection, I can promise a response that is focused, effective, and with a sense of urgency," says the CEO.

The root of the problem was identified as a bug in the Falcon Sensor's content update, which caused Windows systems to crash with a blue screen error. CrowdStrike and Microsoft collaborated to provide solutions, including instructions for manually removing the faulty file from affected systems. However, this process required physical access to the devices, complicating recovery efforts. Microsoft later released tools to expedite the process.

The outage had far-reaching effects, causing flight cancellations, delays at airports, and disruptions in broadcasting and other services. CrowdStrike clarified that the incident was not a cyberattack but a software defect. The company's share price suffered by roughly 22% in the aftermath, reflecting concerns over the reputational impact of the incident​. 

CrowdStrike faced further backlash following its attempt to apologise for the global IT outage by offering $10 Uber Eats vouchers to affected customers and partners. The move was widely criticised as inadequate given the scale of the disruption, which affected millions of devices worldwide. Additionally, many recipients reported issues redeeming the vouchers, with Uber's systems flagging them as potentially fraudulent due to high usage rates.

The apology was intended as a gesture of goodwill, but it backfired, exacerbating negative sentiment towards the company. This incident highlighted the challenges companies face in managing public relations during crises, especially when the response does not align with the severity of the situation. CrowdStrike acknowledged the criticism and expressed a commitment to learning from the feedback to improve its response strategies in the future.