Experts warn it could take ‘weeks’ to fix global IT outage – here’s what we know
While some computers are starting to come back online after yesterday’s massive Windows outage took down many key systems worldwide, there’s still a lot of work to be done. Experts say it could be weeks before things are back to normal.
The collapse was caused by a faulty update to Falcon software deployed in the cloud by a cybersecurity firm called CrowdStrike. Falcon is critical to protecting numerous IT platforms and, most importantly, the Windows operating system. When the bug reached Windows computers, it caused blue screens of death worldwide.
As CrowdStrike continues to work with customers and partners to resolve this incident, our team has written a technical summary of today’s events. We will continue to update our findings as the investigation progresses. https://t.co/xIDlV7yKVhJuly 20, 2024
IT departments, as well as engineers from CrowdStrike and Microsoft, are doing their best to get everything up and running again. The only good news is that the problem has been identified and a fix is being rolled out. There has been no hacking, so your Windows systems are protected. They just might not turn on.
“The fix is going to have to be applied to lots of computers around the world,” Adam Leon Smith of the British Computer Society (BCS), the Chartered Institute for IT, told Sky News. “So if computers are getting blue screens and endless loops, it could get harder and take days and weeks.”
Other experts are calling the massive disruption a warning that changes need to be made. “This is a very, very uncomfortable illustration of the fragility of the core infrastructure of the world’s internet,” Ciaran Martin, the former CEO of the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Center and a professor at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, told the New York Times.
What else is affected?
The knock-on effects of the CrowdStrike bug are being felt around the world, with critical systems impacting transportation, health, e-commerce and other infrastructure now largely functioning againyesterday’s backlog still needs to be cleared. You’ll probably notice more issues as we move through the rest of the week.
If you are flying today or tomorrow, airports are advising customers to check with their airline for the latest information. It is possible that your flight has been rescheduled. The same goes for other booked transport routes, with tens of thousands of passengers still not at their desired destination. You may find that the gig you missed due to the disruption has also been rescheduled.
The police’s 112 call center systems have been restored after a large-scale outage that began late last night.July 19, 2024
The NHS in England is patients tell to keep their scheduled appointments unless told otherwise. Several 911 networks in the US were affected by the computer problems, although these are now largely back onlineWhile the picture is certainly improving, we still have a long way to go before we are completely back to normal.
In the meantime, authorities are warning users to be carefull against scams related to the CrowdStrike outage. Be wary of emails that appear to come from CrowdStrike, Microsoft, or another IT support source you don’t recognize. Monitor official sources of information, such as CrowdStrike’s social media channels and trusted publishers (such as TechRadar).
How do I fix the CrowdStrike bug?
If you’ve found your own Windows PC affected by the CrowdStrike bug, it will likely be unable to boot. The edge reports, some users find that repeatedly rebooting eventually fixes the problem – Windows eventually picks up the updated files allowing the computer to boot (connect your PC directly to your router can help).
Windows should load the Windows Recovery Environment if your computer won’t boot, and from there you’ll have the option to roll back the most recent update to your machine: Microsoft has instructions for this. If you don’t see the Windows Recovery Environment, try pressing F11 while your system boots.
Another option is to enter Safe Mode: in the Windows Recovery Environment interface, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Advanced startup options > Startup Settings > Restart. Choose 4 to enter Windows Safe Mode.
Safe Mode runs Windows in a stripped down state, so don’t be surprised if your PC is a lot slower than normal. In File Explorer, navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CrowdStrike and delete all files matching “C-00000291*.sys”. Restart your computer normally, through the Start menu, and you should be good to go.
