In a letter dated Monday and first reported by the Washington Post, the congressional panel expressed the gravity of the situation, noting that some experts have labeled it as the largest IT outage in history.
New Delhi: The US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee has formally summoned CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz to testify regarding a recent widespread tech outage that disrupted millions of Windows devices worldwide. The committee's move comes in response to a glitchy update released by CrowdStrike's security software, which caused significant disruptions across various industries including airlines, banking, and healthcare last Friday.
CrowdStrike's faulty update collided with Microsoft's Windows operating system, triggering widespread computer crashes and internet service disruptions. Microsoft reported that approximately 8.5 million devices were affected by the incident, which prompted concerns over the resilience of critical IT infrastructure and the implications of relying on a handful of companies for essential software services.
Largest IT outage in history
In a letter dated Monday and first reported by the Washington Post, the congressional panel expressed the gravity of the situation, noting that some experts have labeled it as the largest IT outage in history. The committee und'erscored the need to comprehensively address the causes behind the outage and to explore preventive measures to avert similar disruptions in the future. “While we acknowledge CrowdStrike's efforts in response and collaboration with stakeholders, the scale of this incident demands thorough examination,” the letter stated.
Ongoing communication
A spokesperson for CrowdStrike confirmed ongoing communication with congressional committees and indicated readiness to engage in hearings and briefings as required. The committee has specifically requested Kurtz to schedule a hearing with the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection by Wednesday, emphasizing the urgency in addressing the fallout and ensuring robust safeguards against potential future disruptions.
