Microsoft has revealed that a global IT outage, traced back to a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, has impacted approximately 8.5 million Windows devices worldwide. This is the first official estimate of the scale of the incident, which continues to cause widespread disruption.
The affected devices represent less than 1% of all Windows machines globally, but the outage’s significant economic and societal impacts highlight the widespread use of CrowdStrike’s services by enterprises running critical operations. David Weston, Microsoft’s Vice President of Enterprise and OS Security, emphasized the importance of rigorous quality control for updates to prevent such incidents.
Microsoft has been assisting affected customers and noted that their precise estimate of impacted devices comes from performance telemetry linked to internet connections. The tech giant clarified that the issue was not with Microsoft’s software but underscored the need for safe deployment practices and disaster recovery mechanisms across the tech ecosystem.
The CrowdStrike update glitch is now considered one of the largest cyber-incidents in history, surpassing previous significant events like the WannaCry attack in 2017, which affected around 300,000 computers, and the NotPetya attack that followed a month later. Even the major six-hour outage at Meta in 2021, which disrupted Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, pales in comparison.
The massive outage has spurred warnings from cybersecurity experts about a surge in opportunistic hacking attempts. Agencies in the UK and Australia have alerted people to be wary of phishing emails, fraudulent calls, and fake websites posing as official channels. George Kurtz, CrowdStrike’s CEO, advised users to verify they are interacting with official company representatives before downloading any fixes.
Secureworks researchers have already observed a sharp increase in CrowdStrike-themed domain registrations, indicating hackers are creating deceptive websites to trick IT managers and the public into downloading malicious software or providing personal information. Cybersecurity agencies worldwide have urged IT managers and responders to use only CrowdStrike’s official website for information and assistance.
The incident serves as a stark reminder for individuals and organizations to remain vigilant and act only on information from verified sources to safeguard against further exploitation by cybercriminals.
