Live updates: Microsoft outage linked to CrowdStrike knocks Windows users offline

3:29 a.m. ET, Jul. 22 - Global IT systems still recovering three days later

It's been three days since the CrowdStrike outage, but its effects are still being felt. Here's a look at the shape of things now.

5:11 p.m. ET - How did a single update cause such worldwide chaos?

Mashable's Christianna Silva, our digital culture reporter, spoke to some cybersecurity experts to help make sense of how on earth a single faulty update caused global mayhem.

4:45 p.m. ET - "Bad actors will try to exploit events like this," says CrowdStrike

In a blog post, CrowdStrike reiterated its apologetic stance, adding that it has mobilized its teams to help its customers recover.

It also acknowledges that the outage exposed a huge vulnerability in our global internet infrastructure:

"We know that adversaries and bad actors will try to exploit events like this. I encourage everyone to remain vigilant and ensure that you’re engaging with official CrowdStrike representatives," the cybersecurity firm said.

4:08 p.m. ET - FedEx and UPS announce possible package delays

In a statement on its website, FedEx said it has been affected by the outage:

"FedEx has experienced disruptions throughout our networks due to a global IT outage experienced by a third party software vendor," the shipper said. "Contingency plans have been activated to mitigate impacts but potential delays are possible for package deliveries with a delivery commitment of July 19, 2024"

UPS expressed similar sentiments:

"A third-party software outage is impacting some UPS computer systems in the U.S. and Europe. At this time, our airline continues to operate effectively and our drivers are on the roads delivering for customers," UPS said in a statement to CBS. "We are continuing to work to resolve all issues as quickly as possible; there may be some service delays."

3:44 p.m. ET - Mercedes F1 team affected by outage

The Mercedes F1 team, which happens to be sponsored by CrowdStrike, experienced an outage while preparing for the Hungarian Grand Prix Free Practice 1 session.

This tweet shows Mercedes was grappling with "blue screen of death" monitors today.

CrowdStrike ended up helping the Mercedes F1 team get back on track, no pun intended.

"The fixes included the machines that run the pit wall, and as this was not needed until 1330 local time, these were some of the last fixes to be applied," said Bradley Lord, the team's chief communications officer, in an email to Business Insider.

In the end, Lord claims that the outage didn't cause too much disruption as CrowdStrike and its IT team helped operations get back up to speed. (Again, no pun intended.)

3:39 p.m. ET - Amazon's warehouses experienced disruption

According to Business Insider, some internal services for Amazon were affected by the global IT outage. Employees discovered that their work email was no longer working on Friday, and like many others, saw the "blue screen of death" appear on their Windows laptops.

It affected many Amazon warehouses, but it was resolved in a few hours, according to an internal memo Business Insider obtained.

3:24 p.m. ET - Social media memes are aplenty

While some have been pulling their hair out after the CrowdStrike update bricked Windows machines, others have been reacting to the news with a little bit of schadenfreude.

Mashable's Elizabeth de Luna, our digital culture reporter, rounded up all the best memes about the CrowdStrike/Microsoft mayhem. (Hint: many were disappointed that Microsoft Teams and Outlook still worked despite the global IT outage)

1:47 p.m. ET - Some DMV locations are affected by the outage

According to the Associated Press, New York claims that it could not process its DMV transactions online on Friday morning. By Friday afternoon, however, the DMV said a few, but not all, systems were restored.

Some in-person services are still down.

We've been seeing a similar story for DMVs in Delaware, North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, and more.

1:09 p.m. ET - Some early-voting locations have been impacted

Maricopa County in Arizona, for example, announced that it's experiencing an outage at some voting locations. (Early voting for the state's July 30th primary election started on July 3rd.)

Other locations, like Knox County in Tennessee, announced that it has not been affected by the IT outage.

1:02 p.m. ET - Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, drops a statement on X

Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella dropped a statement on X about the CrowdStrike flub:

"Yesterday, CrowdStrike released an update that began impacting IT systems globally," Nadella said. "We are aware of this issue and are working closely with CrowdStrike and across the industry to provide customers technical guidance and support to safely bring their systems back online."

12:49 p.m. ET - Airports are experiencing closures

According to FlightAware, airlines flying within, into, and out of the United States suffered from 2,181 cancellations, likely due to the Microsoft/CrowdStrike outage.

In a post on X, the Federal Aviation Administration said the following just an hour ago:

"Currently FAA operations are not impacted by the global IT issue. We continue to monitor the situation closely."

This is a departure from its earlier post that said, "The FAA is closely monitoring a technical issue impacting IT systems at U.S. airlines. Several airlines have requested FAA assistance with ground stops until the issue is resolved."

Some airports, like LaGuardia Airport in New York (LGA), Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas (LAS), and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), have announced temporary airport closures.

12:34 p.m. ET - The outage unveils major vulnerabilities in our internet infrastructure

An expert comment sent to The New York Times said the following:

“This is a very, very uncomfortable illustration of the fragility of the world’s core internet infrastructure,” said Ciaran Martin, the former chief executive of Britain’s National Cyber Security Center and a professor at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University.

As Martin said, this outage has shed light on how vulnerable our global systems are if one single update can cause such worldwide mayhem.

Lukasz Olejnik, an independent cybersecurity researcher and consultant, said that CrowdStrike's faux pas will "take time to resolve" because the suggested solution from Microsoft involves three steps: manually rebooting each computer into safe mode, deleting a specified file, and restarting the computer.

This may be simple for anyone with a personal computer, but such a task is difficult to execute at scale.

12:16 p.m. ET - Microsoft recommends the ol' "Did you turn it off and on again?" fix

For those still struggling to get their system up and running, Microsoft recommended turning it off and on before doing it again — and again and again and again.

"We have received feedback from customers that several reboots (as many as 15 have been reported) may be required, but overall feedback is that reboots are an effective troubleshooting step at this stage," the Redmond-based tech giant suggested for Azure customers.

11:58 a.m. ET - A deeper look at affected industries

Mashable's Alex Perry has compiled a list of industries that have been significantly affected by the Microsoft outage. This, of course, included airlines, as we've mentioned at the outset, but other industries that have been hindered by the CrowdStrike update glitch include 911 calls, stock markets, TV broadcasts, hospitals, and more.

For example, Bloomberg reported that British hospitals had issues pulling up important patient details while the New York Sloan Kettering Cancer Center had to delay surgical procedures that involved anesthesia.

11:19 a.m. ET - CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz apologies for the disruption

In an interview with NBC's "TODAY" show, the CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz issued an apology:

"We're deeply sorry for the impact that we've caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected by this, including companies. We know what the issue is. We're resolving, and have resolved, the issue now. It's recovering systems that are out there," Kurtz said.

For anyone wondering how long this outage will last, it's not looking good — at least not for major businesses who rely on Microsoft-based computers for their day-to-day operations.

In the "TODAY" interview, Kurtz admitted that "it could be some time for some systems that just automatically won't recover."

11:08 a.m. ET - Payroll systems are affected

As the Independent pointed out, reports of payroll failures have been piling up. To put it succinctly, some workers may see a delay in payroll processing.

Here's a statement from Melanie Pizzey, the chief executive officer and founder of the Global Payroll Association:

We’ve been contacted by numerous clients already today who have been unable to access their payroll software due to the Microsoft outage and others who have been urged to log out with immediate effect.

“Depending on the length of this outage, it could have very serious implications for businesses across the nation, particularly those who process payroll on a weekly basis," Pizzey said.

"Furthermore, we could see a backlog with regard to processing payrolls for the coming month end which may delay employees from receiving their monthly wage," Pizzey added. "At best, it will require those managing payroll to work overtime to rectify the issue, but the good news is that it doesn’t seem to be a cyber attack.”

10:58 a.m. ET - Mashable gets statement from White House

In an email to Mashable, a White House spokesperson released the following statement on the Microsoft outage:

"The president has been briefed on the CrowdStrike outage and his team is in touch with CrowdStrike and impacted entities.

His team is engaged across the interagency to get sector by sector updates throughout the day and is standing by to provide assistance as needed."

10:51 a.m. ET - Original story

A massive, worldwide Microsoft outage linked to CrowdStrike is causing chaos for Windows users, and by extension, airlines, shops, broadcasters, banks, and other businesses.

Due to a faulty CrowdStrike software update, many Windows machines have been contending with the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).

At 1:30 a.m. ET, CrowdStrike announced that it identified the trouble-causing update that sparked the worldwide outage. However, as The Register said, this advisory was posted behind a registration wall, so only customers could access the notice.

In statements to the BBC, Microsoft and CrowdStike have broken their silence on the matter. Microsoft said that it's aware of the issue, which occurred "due to an update from a third-party software platform." CrowdStrike said that the outage was caused by a single update for Windows machines — and it's "actively working with customers" who were impacted by the incident.

CrowdStrike added that a fix has been deployed. However, for those who are still facing the Blue Screen of Death, there is a workaround.

Still, the Microsoft outage has affected many people across several industries, including airline flights. (We have compiled a list of grounded flights that were affected by the Microsoft outage.)

If you're wondering if this is a cyberattack or a security vulnerability problem, Crowdstrike debunks these claims, maintaining that a faulty software update caused the outage.

Bookmark this page for more updates. This live post will be updated regularly.