CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz has provided crucial updates regarding the cybersecurity firm’s recent downtime, reassuring customers that the incident was not a security breach or cyberattack.
According to a post on the X social platform, the downtime resulted from a defect in a single content update affecting Windows hosts, while Mac and Linux hosts remained unaffected.
Windows defect clarified
Kurtz stated that CrowdStrike is addressing a defect in a content update for Windows hosts, clarifying that it is not a security incident or cyberattack. He says the issue has been identified, isolated, and fixed.
He urged customers to refer to the support portal for the latest updates and emphasized the importance of communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels.
The world experienced a global outage of Microsoft’s Windows systems, which caused significant disruptions to critical services, including emergency services, banking, air travel, and broadcasting. However, the issue appears to be related to CrowdStrike’s cybersecurity software.
Impact on CrowdStrike's stock
The CEO’s clarification will come as a relief to users concerned about the potential implications of the downtime. CrowdStrike, known for its advanced cybersecurity solutions, demonstrated commitment to transparency and customer support by addressing the issue and ensuring minimal service disruption.
Microsoft 365 Status reported on X on July 18 at 11:41 pm UTC that it was investigating an issue preventing users from accessing various Microsoft 365 apps and services. According to Microsoft’s latest update at 7:55 am UTC, the company is making progress in restoring availability to multiple services as it continues to troubleshoot the problem.
However, the crypto community has swiftly capitalized on the situation, creating a slew of new memecoins on Ethereum and Solana networks. These tokens are inspired by the alleged culprit behind the Microsoft outage, CrowdStrike, and the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” (BSOD) error screen. This surge in memecoins has occurred since the incident began.
According to CNBC, CrowdStrike’s stock has soared 118% in the past year, but its shares plummeted 15% in premarket trading on Friday after a software update caused a global outage. As CrowdStrike’s stock fell, rival cybersecurity firms saw gains, likely due to investors betting that businesses may switch to competing services.