The global IT outage on Friday, triggered by a single update to CrowdStrike software on Microsoft Windows, brought many operations to a standstill. However, businesses in Asia were spared the worst consequences due to less reliance on CrowdStrike services.
The outage led to crippled airports, halted flights, and closed supermarkets in affected areas around the world. In Australia alone, the cost of the outage to businesses is estimated to potentially surpass $1 billion. The aftermath of the incident is expected to linger, with certain sectors experiencing ongoing technical issues.
CrowdStrike president, Michael Sentonas, acknowledged the disruption caused and expressed apologies for the distress experienced by many. Meanwhile, Chinese cybersecurity firms seized the opportunity to highlight the superior performance of their products compared to US technology in the wake of the outage.
Home Affairs and Cybersecurity Minister, Clare O’Neil, emphasized that the effects of the global IT outage may continue to be felt for weeks, as some sectors are still grappling with technical issues. According to Microsoft, the software update by CrowdStrike resulted in approximately 8.5 million disabled devices globally, impacting various essential services including airport check-ins, supermarkets, and emergency information systems.
