Microsoft CrowdStrike Outage. The Impact of a Software Glitch on Global Businesses

Microsoft acknowledged the outage in a blog post, noting that “Virtual Machines running Windows Client and Windows Server, with the CrowdStrike Falcon agent installed, may experience a bug check.” The tech giant estimated the impact began around 4:09 a.m. UTC (9:39 a.m. IST) on July 19, coinciding with the update rollout.
While Microsoft has not fully disclosed the cause of the cloud service outage, it appears to be linked to an incident involving a software update for CrowdStrike’s endpoint protection program, Falcon Sensor. CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, uses a unified security program to prevent breaches in real-time. The Falcon Sensor platform, which operates with high privileges, is designed to protect endpoints—any devices connected to a computer network. A glitch in this security platform can cause the operating system to crash, as experienced by many users globally on July 19, resulting in the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). When BSOD appears, users can become stuck in a boot loop cycle, preventing access to their devices associated with CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform, as the security solution is deployed at the BIOS level.

A BSOD, or Blue Screen of Death, is an alert that appears on a computer screen when the system encounters a critical error and halts operations. Today, many users experienced this issue when trying to access their devices during the outage. Officially known as a “Stop Error,” this warning prompts Windows to save a file containing error data, known as a ‘minidump,’ before the system reboots. This file is vital for diagnosing the problem.
BSODs can result from various issues, including malfunctioning hardware drivers, incompatible software, or conflicts between applications. Hardware problems such as faulty RAM, hard disk drives (HDD), solid-state drives (SSD), motherboards, or other components can also trigger a BSOD. Additionally, malware infections that corrupt system files can lead to this error.
To resolve a BSOD, identifying the root cause is crucial. This involves troubleshooting based on the alphanumeric code displayed in the error message.

CyberArk’s CIO, Omer Grossman, suggests that the range of possibilities is broad, spanning from simple human error, such as a developer downloading an update without proper quality control, to a sophisticated cyberattack meticulously planned in advance, potentially involving an attacker executing a “doomsday command” or “kill switch.”
The exact cause will remain speculative until CrowdStrike releases its own analysis and updates in the coming days. Cybersecurity experts are eagerly anticipating insights into what might have gone wrong.
Additionally, CYFIRMA’s CEO, Kumar Ritesh, noted that the software update from CrowdStrike might have clashed with recent changes in the latest Windows update. This area warrants investigation, especially since other cloud service providers, like Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services (AWS), did not experience any outages. It is worth mentioning that both Google and Amazon have built their cloud platforms on Linux.

Thousands of users encountered the dreaded BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) on their devices, causing widespread delays and disruptions at airports. Historically, Microsoft has responded to such outages and cybersecurity breaches—often attributed to foreign attackers—with a confident and optimistic stance. However, on July 19, as users worldwide struggled with basic tasks like making digital payments and found themselves stranded in airports, fear and frustration mounted. Computer emergency response teams across the globe rushed to determine whether the IT outage was caused by cybercriminals or state-backed hackers. The disruption severely impacted Microsoft’s users, including airports, airlines, financial institutions, hospitals, office workers, and casual internet users trying to log into their Microsoft apps or devices.
In India, traders and investors faced transaction processing issues, while airports and airlines reverted to manual processes, such as issuing handwritten boarding passes, resulting in flight delays. Some hospitals also experienced disruptions, raising concerns about the potential loss of patient data and delayed treatments. Down detector reported a surge in outage reports from various parts of the world, with complaints about Microsoft’s login, Outlook, server, and app experiences. Major Indian cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai were notably affected, according to the platform.

The situation is gradually stabilizing, with CrowdStrike announcing the deployment of a fix. U.S. and Indian airlines confirmed their efforts to ensure passengers reach their destinations.
“CrowdStrike is actively addressing the issue that impacted customers due to a defect in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are unaffected. This is not a security breach or cyberattack. The problem has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been implemented,” stated CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz in a detailed post on X.
Nonetheless, with even the U.S. White House monitoring the situation, both Microsoft and CrowdStrike will face many challenging questions in the upcoming days.