A number of Windows systems at Stanford were affected by a global outage caused by a faulty update from CrowdStrike.
The update, originally intended to enhance protection against threats, ransomware and other cyberattacks, caused widespread crashes of Windows systems running the software. The issue impacted industries worldwide including healthcare, aviation and education beginning around 9:30 p.m. last Thursday.
The CrowdStrike problem on campus systems was resolved at 10:27 p.m. on Friday, according to an AlertSU.
CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity software integrated with Microsoft’s platforms to protect against cyberattacks. Stanford uses Microsoft systems, including Outlook and OneDrive, for many academic and administrative functions.
In the AlertSU, University IT assured Stanford students and faculty that many affected systems should recover automatically after University IT checks in with CrowdStrike servers to receive the corrected update. Students and staff who find that their systems are still crashed are encouraged to visit the University IT website for detailed instructions on how to manually recover their systems.
Students and faculty are advised to monitor their emails and the University IT website for further updates and assistance. ”UIT and distributed IT groups continue to work in partnership to resolve issues resulting from [the] faulty CrowdStrike update that caused Windows systems to crash,” the AlertSU said.
The global outage has cost an estimated $1 billion in lost productivity and operational disruptions to businesses, causing a dip in stock prices for several major corporations. CrowdStrike’s CEO, George Kurtz, released an apology on Friday but did not provide specifics on compensation. The issue has sparked Congressional discussions on new regulations that would mandate greater accountability and transparency from cybersecurity firms.
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