Microsoft: European Union to blame for massive IT outage
Up to 8.5 million Windows devices worldwide were affected by a major IT outage on Friday, and Microsoft is pointing fingers at the European Union. According to the tech giant, a 2009 agreement imposed by the European Commission prevented them from making security changes that would have blocked a faulty security update from cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike.
The defective update for Crowdstrike’s Falcon system, designed to protect against cyberattacks, caused an estimated 8.5 million computers to fail. The consequences were far-reaching, with thousands of flights delayed or canceled, the UK’s NHS service disrupted, and contactless payments rendered useless.
The heart of the issue lies in the fact that Microsoft, due to the 2009 agreement, allowed multiple security providers, including Crowdstrike, to install software at the kernel level. Although Microsoft has its own in-house alternative, Windows Defender, the EU agreement prevented them from blocking the faulty update.
This accusation of unfair advantage is not new for Microsoft, as the European Commission has been scrutinizing the company since the early 2000s. The EU has argued that Microsoft’s popular Windows software gives them an edge over other companies. In contrast, Apple, Microsoft’s main competitor, took a different approach in 2020 by blocking access to the kernel on its Mac computers to enhance security and reliability.
Microsoft claims that it could not make a similar change due to the EU agreement and that the outage affected less than 1% of all devices using their software. However, the impact was significant because many businesses heavily rely on Crowdstrike’s services.
Crowdstrike has apologized for the incident and stated that a «significant number» of the affected computers are back online. Microsoft confirmed the number of affected devices and acknowledged the major disruptions caused.
As Europe works towards enforcing its new Digital Markets Act, the focus now turns to Apple. The EU is trying to compel the tech giant to allow access to the iPhone’s kernel, enabling alternative app stores and web browsers to be used.
Euronews Next has reached out to Microsoft for further comments on the matter.
