Austin-Based Company Causes Global Tech Outage, Disrupting Travel, Banking, and Government Services

An Austin-based company, CrowdStrike, was the epicenter of a far-reaching systems failure on Friday, causing chaos across industries and continents.

• The company's "Falcon Sensor" software update crashed Microsoft Windows, triggering a worldwide crisis.
• In a statement, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz acknowledged the issue: "actively working...with a defect found in a Windows update. This is not a security incident or cyberattack."
• CrowdStrike is a leading cybersecurity firm, renowned for its AI-powered Falcon platform, with over half of the Fortune 500 as clients.

The outage impacted:

• Travel: Grounded flights, confused passengers, and canceled trips. American, United, and Delta among affected carriers. Over 2,000 flight cancellations and 6,100 delays by noon Friday (FlightAware).
• Banking: Major global banks paused operations, including Bank of America, Capital One, and Chase.
• Government Services: The Texas Department of Public Safety struggled, canceling driver's license appointments. 911 services, however, remained functional, per Gov. Abbott.

Global Impact:

• UK: Sky News off-air, train delays, airport issues, stock exchange disruptions, hospital appointment problems, and retail payment failures.
• Australia: Media, bank, and telecom outages.
• New York: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority experienced system failures but maintained train and bus services.

CrowdStrike is working to resolve the issues and providing updates on its website. The fallout underscores the fragile interconnectedness of our digital world, where a single flaw can bring everyday life to a standstill.

For updates on this developing story, stay tuned to our website and social media feeds. For comments or queries, contact Bsalgado@gannett.com.