Read the memo from CrowdStrike explaining how its update broke the world's computers
- CrowdStrike explained in a memo how a faulty update caused a global Microsoft IT outage on Friday.
- CrowdStrike said on Wednesday that its Rapid Response Content update contained an undetected error.
Many of the world's airlines, banks, and retailers came to a grinding halt last Friday after a faulty update caused a global Microsoft IT outage. Now the cybersecurity firm behind the update, CrowdStrike, is explaining what happened.
In a memo released Wednesday, CrowdStrike said an update to its Rapid Response Content, which is "designed to respond to the changing threat landscape at operational speed," contained an "undetected error."
That error — explained in CrowdStrike's full memo, included below — caused chaos around the world. Thousands of flights were canceled, emergency 911 services went down, retailers closed stores or accepted only cash payments, and some hospital operations were delayed or disrupted.
CrowdStrike quickly deployed a fix, but it took time to go into effect, with some systems requiring a manual reboot.
It amounted to the largest IT outage in history, and some companies, such as Delta Air Lines, are still recovering from the fallout.
Read CrowdStrike's memo below: