Microsoft reported on Saturday that a global tech outage linked to a software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike (CRWD.O) affected nearly 8.5 million Microsoft (MSFT.O) devices.
In a blog post, Microsoft stated, “We currently estimate that CrowdStrike’s update impacted 8.5 million Windows devices, or less than one percent of all Windows machines.”
The update caused significant issues, including flight disruptions, broadcasting interruptions, and service outages in sectors like healthcare and banking. Despite the small percentage affected, the widespread impact highlights the critical role of CrowdStrike’s services for many enterprises.
CrowdStrike is now working on a solution to assist Microsoft’s Azure infrastructure in speeding up the fix. Microsoft is also collaborating with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform to share information about the outage’s effects across the industry.
The air travel sector was notably impacted, with thousands of flights canceled and passengers facing delays. Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), one of the hardest-hit carriers, reported over 600 flight cancellations by 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Saturday, with further cancellations expected.
