What is CrowdStrike? What does CrowdStrike do?

Today will be remembered as the day of the global outage. It has been one of the largest outages to date, halting the world from India to the USA, and from Singapore to Japan. Flights are grounded, banking services are down, and even rail services are disrupted. This massive disruption was caused by a single update, affecting Microsoft Windows computers worldwide. The update, released by CrowdStrike, is at the center of this chaos. But what exactly is CrowdStrike?

What is CrowdStrike?

CrowdStrike is a company that provides cloud-based cybersecurity services. Known for its advanced technologies, CrowdStrike uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a platform called Falcon to detect and prevent cyber threats. Their software protects systems from cyber attacks both online and offline.

The Incident

Recently, a CrowdStrike-released update caused a significant global disruption. This update, intended for Microsoft systems, had a bug that led to widespread outages. Here’s what happened:

• Global Impact: Systems worldwide were affected, causing a halt in flights, banking services, and railways. Countries like India, the USA, Singapore, and Japan were all impacted.
• Manual Processes: In the wake of the outage, manual processes had to be employed, such as handwriting boarding passes.
• Financial Loss: The incident led to a drastic drop in CrowdStrike’s share value by 21%, resulting in an estimated loss of $16 billion (₹1.34 lakh crore).

CrowdStrike’s Response

CrowdStrike’s CEO, George Kurtz, has acknowledged the error and assured that the issue is being fixed. The company has identified the problem and is actively working with affected customers. A new update to resolve the issue is being released soon. Notably, the problem only affected Windows systems, while Mac and Linux systems remained unaffected.

Microsoft’s Response

Microsoft has also responded, blaming a third-party software update for the disruption. The company is working on a solution for Windows devices and expects to resolve the issue shortly.

Why Did This Happen?

According to Oleg Gorokhovsky, founder of Ukrainian online bank Monobank, the issue arose from an interaction between CrowdStrike's antivirus software and Microsoft’s Windows operating system. This interaction led to the widespread disruption experienced globally.

FAQs About CrowdStrike

• What does CrowdStrike do? CrowdStrike provides cloud-based cybersecurity solutions, using AI and Falcon technology to detect and prevent cyber threats.
• Is CrowdStrike an Israeli company? No, CrowdStrike is an American company.
• Why did CrowdStrike’s shares fall? The recent update caused a global outage, leading to a significant drop in share value.
• Is CrowdStrike a big company? Yes, CrowdStrike is a significant player in the cybersecurity industry with a global presence.

Summary:

The global outage caused by CrowdStrike’s update has been a wake-up call for the cybersecurity industry. While the immediate effects were severe, both CrowdStrike and Microsoft are taking steps to resolve the issue and prevent such incidents in the future. This event highlights the critical importance of cybersecurity in our interconnected world.