CrowdStrike blames “faulty update” for widespread tech disruption, denies cyber attack
Jul 22, 2024, 10:38 AM
A Crowdstrike office is shown in Sunnyvale, Calif., on Friday, July 19, 2024. CrowdStrike said the tech disruption that halted flights and left several businesses in disarray, said it was a faulty update to blame.(AP Photo/Haven Daley)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Haven Daley)
SALT LAKE CITY — CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm at the heart of a widespread disruption that halted flights and left hospitals, banks, and businesses in disarray, said a faulty update was to blame.
CrowdStrike has acknowledged the widespread “blue screen of death” errors affecting Microsoft computers globally.
CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We…
— George Kurtz (@George_Kurtz) July 19, 2024
Despite CrowdStrike’s statement, some have remained skeptical, questioning if there’s a deeper cause behind the chaos.
Earl Foote, CEO and Founder of local cybersecurity firm Nexus IT said industry chatter hints that this may be more than just a faulty update.
“There is speculation that as … the number one global cyber security provider and software publisher … CrowdStrike, maybe, had a security breach themselves,” he said.
Foote suggested it could mark one of the largest cyberattacks in history.
“If this is a breach, this is intentional. It’s cyberterrorism is what it is,” he said. “Taking down the world’s airlines … all at once. This is absolutely on purpose if it is a breach.”
At this time, CrowdStrike has not confirmed any breaches and declined to answer questions.
Eric Cabrera is a reporter for KSL NewsRadio. You can follow him on Instagram.
