To assist affected users, CERT-In has provided steps steps to remove the problematic driver file associated with the Falcon Sensor and restore system functionality.
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has released a ‘critical’ advisory in the wake of a global outage affecting Microsoft Windows operating systems. The advisory, designated CIAD-2024-0035, addresses the widespread issue of systems encountering the dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).
The primary cause of this disruption has been identified as the latest update to the CrowdStrike agent Falcon Sensor. Windows hosts running this software are particularly affected, resulting in system crashes and BSOD errors. The advisory specifies that the update led to these issues, but CrowdStrike has since reverted the changes.
To assist affected users, CERT-In has provided the following recovery steps:
These steps aim to remove the problematic driver file associated with the Falcon Sensor and restore system functionality.
In response to the global scale of the outage, the Indian government has acknowledged the severity of the situation. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY) is actively engaging with Microsoft and its partners to address and mitigate the impact. Top officials from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and MeITY are in discussions with Microsoft to find a resolution.
The global outage affecting Microsoft Windows is having a significant impact worldwide. Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is among the hardest hit, with check-in systems for major airlines such as IndiGo, Akasa, and SpiceJet going down. As a result, airlines have had to revert to manual check-in processes, urging passengers to arrive early to accommodate the delays.
The disruption extends far beyond the travel industry. Businesses that rely on Microsoft 365 services, including PowerBI, Teams, and the admin centre, are also experiencing significant disruptions. Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and is actively rerouting traffic to mitigate the impact. The tech giant reports partial recovery for some services, including Defender and OneDrive, but many users continue to face challenges.
The outage has underscored the widespread reliance on Microsoft’s services and the cascading effects of such disruptions across multiple sectors. Microsoft is working diligently to resolve the issues and restore full functionality to its services. Meanwhile, affected organisations and travellers are urged to stay informed and plan accordingly to manage the disruptions.
Source:financialexpress.com