What is CrowdStrike? How a software glitch disrupted a tech-dependent world

In what cybersecurity experts are calling "the largest IT outage in history," a software update glitch at CrowdStrike , a prominent cybersecurity firm, triggered widespread chaos across the globe on Friday, July 19. The incident resulted in critical systems going offline at airports, banks, hospitals and businesses worldwide. The outage affected services like credit card payments, public transportation, TV broadcasts and even 911 emergency lines.

CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz addressed the public on the "Today Show," apologizing for the extensive impact caused by the incident.

"We're deeply sorry for the impact that we've caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone impacted by this including our company," Kurtz said, emphasizing CrowdStrike's commitment to assisting affected parties in restoring their services.

The disruption, attributed solely to a software update error rather than a cyberattack, underscores vulnerabilities inherent in digital infrastructure. While CrowdStrike resolved the glitch, the focus now shifts to restoring the downed systems and returning normalcy to a tech-dependent world.

Founded in Texas, CrowdStrike serves a dual role: providing cybersecurity software to over 29,000 customers, including more than 500 Fortune 1000 companies, and conducting investigations into major cyber incidents. The company gained prominence for its role in investigating the 2016 Russian hack of the Democratic National Committee, among other high-profile cases .

In response to the outage, CrowdStrike's stock saw a notable decline, falling by as much as 15% in pre-market trading .

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