New York. A faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused worldwide disruptions on Friday, grounding flights, affecting financial firms and news outlets, and disrupting hospitals, small businesses, and government offices.
The update affected CrowdStrike customers running Microsoft Windows. CrowdStrike confirmed the issue was not due to hacking or a cyberattack and apologized, stating a fix was on the way.
CrowdStrike identified the problem as related to its “Falcon sensor” product. CEO George Kurtz apologized on NBC’s “Today Show,” saying the company was “deeply sorry for the impact” and acknowledged that the fix might take time, especially for customers lacking in-house expertise.
While CrowdStrike’s update was automated, the fix requires hands-on work, such as deleting corrupted files, which could take days or longer for some…
