The CrowdStrike software update caused a significant cyberattack on Monday (Jan. 23), impacting critical systems across industries. Here’s how the outage affected various sectors:
Airlines
- American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines experienced flight delays and cancellations due to disrupted airline reservation, ticketing, and baggage tracking systems.
- Passengers reported issues accessing flights on platforms like Amex, CapitalOne, and other major airlines.
Auto Industry
- The GM and Ford manufacturing operations were unaffected by the outage. However, GM’s consumer-facing apps, including OnStar, functioned normally.
- Magna, an automotive supplier, faced varying operational disruptions due to the attack.
Transportation Sector
- The New York City MTA app was mostly down but partially restored by evening.
- Washington, D.C.’s Metro system operated smoothly despite the outage affecting some apps like Amtrak’s schedule display.
Other Industries
- Retailers, brokerage houses, and media companies reported minor disruptions or outages in their systems.
- The auto industry, including electric vehicles (e.g., Arc Sport boats), experienced brief outages but quickly recovered.
Key Details
- The issue stemmed from a defect in a software update for Windows hosts, not related to cyberattacks. CrowdStrike confirmed the fix was rolling out and operations were stabilizing.
- George Kurtz, CEO of CrowdStrike, ruled out a cyberattack and stated that Mac and Linux users were unaffected.
The attack highlighted vulnerabilities in critical IT infrastructure across multiple industries, prompting companies to strengthen their defenses.