US Cyber Security Firm Says Global Tech Blackout Is Not Related To Cyber Attack

CrowdStrike, an American cyber security Firm, said the global technology blackout, that is currently affecting multiple sectors is not caused by a cyber attack nor a security incident.

The blackout, which occured worldwide on Friday, July 19, transpired simultaneously with a substantial interruption at Microsoft.

The disruption led to the unavailability of Microsoft’s cloud computing platforms, which caused a far reach interruption in the banking, transportation, and aviation sectors.

George Kurtz, the CEO of Crowdstrike, said on X, formerly Twitter, that the interruption was due to a defect in a content update for Windows Hosts.

According to his tweet on X:

“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyber attack.”

“We have referred customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website.”

“Our team is fully mobilised to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”

According to reports on Monday, In the United States, some airlines cancelled flights, due to technical issues. Johannesburg Stock Exchange in South Africa, said the FTSE indices were not updating.

30 flights were cancelled and 10 others delayed, in LaGuardia Airport, in New York City. 16 flights were cancelled and they were lots of delays at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The company said in their statement that: “We are continuing to progress on our mitigation efforts for the affected Microsoft 365 apps and services. We still expect users to see remediation as we address residual impact.”