Tech giant Microsoft reported on Saturday (20) that the technological blackout that affected several sectors around the world damaged 8.5 million machines with Windows, software manufactured by Microsoft. The amount represents less than 1% of the company’s total processors, according to the company. 
“Although the percentage was small, the broad economic and social reflect the use of CrowdStrike by companies that run many critical services,” the company said in a blog post.
Microsoft explained that the outage occurred because CrowdStrike – an independent cybersecurity company – made a system update, which led to the blackout of Information Technology (IT) software around the world.
“Since this event began, we have maintained ongoing communication with our customers, CrowdStrike, and third-party developers to gather information and expedite solutions. We recognize the disruption this issue has caused to businesses and the daily routines of many people,” the company added in a statement.
Microsoft also said it was working with CrownStrike to develop a solution, mobilizing “hundreds of engineers and experts” to work directly with customers and restore services. Other cloud providers – online data storage services – such as Google Gloud Platform and Amazon Web Services (AWS) also collaborated.
In closing the report, the technology giant said that the outage demonstrates the interconnected nature of all systems that surround the cyber environment. “It is also a reminder of how important it is for all of us in the technology ecosystem to prioritize operation with secure deployment and disaster recovery using the mechanisms that exist,” it concluded.
Global blackout
In the early hours of this Friday (19), a failure in the content update related to the CrowdStrike Falcon security sensor, which serves to detect possible hacker invasions, was the cause of the cyber blackout which left thousands of companies and people around the world without access to operating systems, especially Microsoft’s Windows.
The event affected industries and services of various types, from banking, transportation, health to communications media around the world.
