A error blue screen is displayed at a currency exchange store at the Hong Kong International Airport on July 19, 2024 in Hong Kong, China. A significant Microsoft outage impacted users globally, leading to widespread disruptions, including cancelled flights and disruptions at retailers globally. Airlines like American Airlines and Southwest Airlines reported difficulties with their systems, which rely on Microsoft services for operations. The outage affected check-in processes and other essential functions, causing frustration among travellers and lines to back up at many affected airports worldwide.Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
The majority of Microsoft users worldwide reported a "blue screen of death" due to extensive tech outages, stemming from a recent update to CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor software, which disrupted Microsoft's Windows 365 Cloud PCs.
However, CNBC reported that the widespread outage has not only affected individual users but also businesses relying on these systems.
In response to the situation, Microsoft has advised users to restore their Windows 365 Cloud PCs to a known good state prior to the release of the problematic update on July 19, 2024. The company has provided online instructions for this process.
Additionally, Microsoft acknowledged that some users might encounter a bug check, causing their systems to get stuck in a restarting state, a situation commonly referred to as the "blue screen of death."
The market reacted negatively to the Microsoft glitch, as evidenced by a drop in the company's stock price.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft shares were down around 1.3% in premarket trading following news of the widespread outage. Investors expressed concern over the potential impact on business operations and customer trust, given the severity and global nature of the issue.
CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm behind the update, has since pulled the affected update. CEO, George Kurtz, assured users that the issue is not a security incident or cyberattack.
The defect was found in a single content update for Windows hosts, and a fix has been deployed.
While CrowdStrike works on resolving the issue, Microsoft has reported that some customers have managed to recover their systems by performing multiple Virtual Machine restart operations.
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