The world is currently facing one of its biggest IT meltdowns ever with millions of devices hit by mass outages. The gremlins, which have been caused by an update from cyber security firm CrowdStrike, have sent Windows PCs into meltdown with many now hit by the dreaded Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD). That dreaded error has left users unable to log in and has also forced some PCs into an unstoppable crash loop.
Firms affected by the software nightmare include banks, airlines, supermarkets and even TV services with Sky News one of the channels that was taken off air due to the crisis.
Ryanair has also confirmed that it has been hit by the “third-party” IT issues which are affecting some flights.
“We’re currently experiencing disruption across the network due to a Global 3rd party IT outage which is out of our control,” the budget carrier explained.
“We advise all passengers to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before their scheduled departure time.”
Even betting firm Ladbrokes hasn’t escaped with company saying “You might have seen the news about the global technical issue affecting airlines, banks etc.
“Unfortunately we’re experiencing this too. We’re working hard to resolve the issue but don’t know when it will be fixed.”
Confirming the issues, CrowdStrike said: “We have widespread reports of BSODs on Windows hosts, occurring on multiple sensor versions.”
The cyber firm says it has now fixed the bug but PCs already impacted seem to still be having some issues. Workaround steps have now been issued for IT admins – via Reddit – with firms urged to follow instructions as soon as possible.
Workaround Steps:
• Boot Windows into Safe Mode or the Windows Recovery Environment
• Navigate to the C:WindowsSystem32driversCrowdStrike directory
• Locate the file matching “C-00000291*.sys”, and delete it.
• Boot the host normally.
What is CrowdStrike?
CrowdStrike is a US-based global cybersecurity company – launched on 2011 – that offers an advanced cloud-native platform for protecting endpoints, cloud workloads, identities and data. The firm’s primary aim is to protect global companies by blocking cyber threats such as data breaches, hacks and ransomware.
It’s a major organisation with some 24,000 customers including global investment banks.
