A faulty update to CrowdStrike Falcon security software led to a massive global outage of Windows systems on Friday, disrupting major airlines, hospitals, public services, and countless businesses.
Global Impact
The outage, first reported in Australia, quickly spread worldwide, causing widespread disruptions. Thousands of flights were canceled or delayed, leaving passengers stranded at airports. Hospitals in multiple countries reported system outages, impacting patient care and emergency response. Public services, including the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), experienced delays and operational challenges.
Technical Issue
CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, confirmed that the outage was caused by a defect in an update to its Falcon security software. The update reportedly conflicted with a Windows system file, triggering critical errors on affected machines.
Fix Issued: CrowdStrike has issued a fix for the problem. Impacted users are advised to boot Windows in Safe Mode, delete the CrowdStrike Falcon file “C-00000291*.sys,” and then reboot their computers. Home users are unaffected.
Recovery Efforts
CrowdStrike issued a fix for the problem, instructing users to delete a specific file and reboot their computers. The company is actively working with affected customers to restore normal operations. Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and is providing support where possible.
Economic Fallout
The outage is expected to result in significant economic losses for businesses and public services. Airlines have reported millions in potential losses due to canceled flights and operational disruptions. The full extent of the economic impact is yet to be determined.
Market Reaction
CrowdStrike shares tumbled nearly 16.8% following the news of the outage, while Microsoft’s stock dipped around 2.3%.
Ongoing Disruptions
While the fix has been deployed, residual impacts are expected to continue as affected organizations work to fully restore their systems.
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About Dr. Tom
Thomas Hyslip currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Criminology, University of South Florida teaching exclusively in the online Master of Science in Cybercrime program. The program is a unique blend of criminology, digital forensics, cybercrime investigations, and incident response course work.
Prior to USF, Dr. Hyslip worked as a Special Agent with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and United States Secret Service for 23 years. While assigned to the DCIS Southeast Field Office, Dr. Hyslip led an undercover operation dedicated to targeting and dismantling the most egregious cyber-criminal enterprises. Dr. Hyslip worked with the National Security Agency, and the United States Cyber Command to identify and infiltrate cyber-criminal organizations targeting the DoD.
In 2012, Dr. Hyslip was promoted to lead the newly created Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Cyber Resident Agency. He led daily procedural and operational activities of special agents in eight locations across the eastern United States responding to computer intrusions within the DoD and the Defense Industrial Base. His office also provided computer forensic support to all DCIS offices and investigations within the Eastern United States, Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia. During this time, Dr. Hyslip worked proactively to target international Cyber-Crime groups and worked undercover to penetrate underground cyber-crime organizations which resulted in the dismantlement of the WebStresser DDoS platform in 2018; the ExoStresser DDoS platform in 2019; and the PowerStresser DDoS platform in 2020.
Dr. Hyslip is also a retired U.S. Army Colonel. His last assignment was as a Historian with the U.S. Army Center of Military History. He was previously assigned to the Office of the Surgeon General as an Environmental Engineer, and as an Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine at the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. COL Hyslip has a mix of active duty and reserve assignments spanning over 27 years including assignments with the US African Command, Office of Inspector General, the Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, and the US Army Reserve Information Operations Command. In 2005, COL Hyslip deployed to Iraq with the 306th Military Police Battalion and earned a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Action Badge.
Dr. Hyslip earned his Doctor of Science degree in Information Assurance from Capitol College, Master of Science degree in Technology Systems from East Carolina University, and his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University. Tom and his wife Susan live in Tega Cay, SC with their daughter Reagan
