A recent global tech outage, linked to a software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, affected nearly 8.5 million Microsoft devices.
The update, which impacted less than one percent of all Windows machines, caused significant disruptions across various sectors, according to a blog post by Microsoft.
The software update by CrowdStrike, one of the largest operators in the cybersecurity industry, led to system problems that grounded flights, forced broadcasters off the air, and left customers without access to essential services such as healthcare and banking.
Microsoft noted in its blog post that CrowdStrike has been instrumental in developing a solution to accelerate a fix for the issues within Microsoft’s Azure infrastructure.
Additionally, Microsoft is collaborating with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform, sharing information about the effects observed across the industry to mitigate further disruptions.
Beware of phishing scams following CrowdStrike outage
CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) has released a warning for users and organisations to be vigilant against potential phishing attacks by cybercriminals in the wake of the CrowdStrike global disruption.
CSM has advised, through a Facebook post, that everyone should be wary of unsolicited calls, phishing emails, fraudulent websites, messages with software updates, or requests for remote access to computers as a result of the global incident.
Tony Fernandes demands compensation for flights disruption
The worldwide IT outage has resulted in significant revenue loss for airlines and has disrupted the lives of many due to system failures, stated Capital A Bhd CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes.
While Fernandes recognised CrowdStrike’s apology, he highlighted that airlines are awaiting a detailed explanation from Microsoft regarding the incident.
Fernandes said in his LinkedIn post:
Tech companies have little empathy. What we went through with COVID-19, they had no sympathy. Now they have issues and expect us all to understand. Well, I’m not going to. Airlines need answers and compensation.
The CEO further stated that the situation appears to have stabilised on the second day of the global IT outage impacting AirAsia’s operations, but they remain vigilant and prepared for any additional disruptions.
