CrowdStrike incident affected 8.5 million devices, Microsoft says

Last week, a CrowdStrike-related incident caused an outage on millions of Windows devices around the world. It was so severe that affected companies are still working to resolve the problem. Now, Microsoft has revealed details about how many Windows PCs were affected by the outage.

Although Microsoft was not the source of the problem, it only impacted companies whose systems are built on Windows. More specifically, to those who use CrowdStrike cyber security solutions. So, in a blog post, the Redmond giant described the measures it’s taking to help its customers recover the normal functioning of their computers.

8.5 million Windows devices impacted by CrowdStrike faulty update

The blog post confirms that around 8.5 million Windows devices were affected by the situation. This represents less than 1% of Windows computers worldwide. Since CrowdStrike cyber security solutions target businesses, normal users did not suffer from the dreaded BSOD. In any case, it is striking that the company massively deployed an update without proper prior testing.

Many companies are struggling to recover their systems. The problem is that the solutions offered by CrowdStrike are not automatic but must be applied manually to each PC. For example, having to boot Windows in safe mode, find a particular file, and delete it. These types of processes that seem simple become an IT nightmare in environments with hundreds of devices. So, the platforms of multiple affected companies are not yet fully recovered. In fact, it could take weeks to put everything in order.

Microsoft details the steps set to help solve the outage

Returning to Microsoft, the blog post details the steps set by the company to help resolve the Windows outage as quickly as possible. Microsoft’s measures include direct communication with CrowdStrike, the deployment of “hundreds” of engineers specifically dedicated to addressing this situation and collaborating with companies that offer services similar to CrowdStrike.

It also created a post with instructions to solve the problem and is updating the status of the situation in real-time. There is even an official recovery tool to try to make things as easy as possible.

The “CrowdStrike incident” was one of the most disastrous in modern IT history. From stores to airports, they stopped their operations due to the problem. It will probably cause movements in the industry of cyber security tool providers and mark a before and after in how update deployments are handled.