Technology

Windows PCs crashing worldwide due to CrowdStrike issue

 CrowdStrike logo of an US cybersecurity technology company is seen on a smartphone and PC screen.

If your Windows computer is currently serving you the Blue Screen of Death, take heart in the fact that you aren’t alone. Windows outages are being reported across the globe, apparently caused by a CrowdStrike issue.

“CrowdStrike is aware of reports of crashes on Windows hosts related to the Falcon Sensor,” CrowdStrike wrote in an alert confirming the outage at 5:30 a.m. UTC. “Symptoms include experiencing a bugcheckblue screen error related to the Falcon Sensor. Our Engineering teams are actively working to resolve this issue and there is no need to open a support ticket.”

CrowdStrike’s Falcon Sensor is software designed to prevent computer systems from cyber attacks.

Though the CrowdStrike issue is specifically causing Windows to crash, the problem seems to be having further reaching implications as well. Considering that Windows is an incredibly popular operating system and CrowdStrike an incredibly popular cybersecurity company, multiple companies and services also appear to be experiencing outages due to their computers being down.

As of writing, DownDetector is indicating a spike in issues across a slew of platforms and businesses, including Amazon Web Services, Instagram, eBay, Visa, ADT, and PlentyOfFish. Reports of outages have rolled in from multiple countries around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, India, and Japan.

A screenshot of the DownDetector home page showing spikes in outages across multiple services.
Credit: Mashable screenshot: DownDetector

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Mashable