Historic IT failure disrupts banking, travel, and commerce worldwide
In this photo illustration logos of 'Microsoft' are displayed on mobile phone screen with a magnifier in Ankara, Turkiye on July 19, 2024. (AA Photo)
Windows 10 users worldwide are experiencing a massive outage due to a new Crowdstrike update, leading to PCs getting stuck on the recovery screen.
Several users shared images on social media of their screens stuck on the recovery page with the message, “It looks like Windows didn’t load correctly. If you’d like to restart and try again, choose Restart my PC below.”
Windows outage: PCs stuck on recovery screen
Users have reported seeing “blue screen of death” error messages across various sectors in the United States, including banking institutions, supermarkets, and media companies. This issue has also affected some TV and radio studios, as reported by the Guardian.
The cause is currently unconfirmed, but cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike has noted the blue screens of death and stated that the cause is under investigation.
Several large multinational companies in India are also reporting this issue, with one top executive telling Hindustan Times that their networks are experiencing the problem. The issue appears to be confined to Windows-based desktops and laptops.
Many large companies affected by the problem
Reports are surfacing about a widespread Windows malfunction affecting the systems of emergency services, banks, airports, and more.
Windows devices are reportedly failing to start, with some suggesting the issue may be linked to the cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike’s software.
The Down Detector website indicates a significant increase in reports of service disruptions, including those from Microsoft, Visa, Ryanair, and many other companies, as shown below:
Reports indicate the issue is affecting the U.S., India, Japan, and many other countries globally. Attempts to access two U.K. banks this morning were unsuccessful. Additionally, there are reports of flights being grounded at several airports worldwide.
According to Windows Latest, if you are stuck in a “blue screen of death” or recovery loop, you can do the following to attempt to remedy the problem.
- Boot to safe mode
- Rename the CrowdStrike folder c:\windows\system32\drivers\crowdstrike to something else
- Reboot your PC
What Microsoft Said
In an extensive thread on X, the software services behemoth stated that it is “looking into a problem affecting users’ access to various Microsoft 365 applications and services.”
“We’re working on rerouting impacted traffic to alternate systems to alleviate impact in a more expedient fashion,” Microsoft said, adding, “We’re still observing a positive trend in service availability while we continue to redirect impacted traffic.”
“We still expect users will continue to see gradual relief as we continue to mitigate the issue.”
What is CrowdStrike?
CrowdStrike is an American cybersecurity firm that helps companies manage their security in “IT environments”– everything that uses an internet connection.
Recent incident
- Thousands of companies globally use CrowdStrike Falcon to protect data.
- A crash of CrowdStrike’s server on Friday is believed to have caused the global Microsoft software outage.
Microsoft fixes problem
Microsoft, in a post on social media platform X at 6:46 p.m., stated that “the underlying cause has been fixed, however, residual impact is continuing to affect some Microsoft 365 apps and services.”
In a more detailed service update online, it mentioned that “this issue may be impacting any user attempting to use various Microsoft 365 apps and services” and emphasized that it was “continuing to treat this event with the highest possible priority.”
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