Last week, a disastrous software update from CrowdStrike caused a global tech meltdown, leaving millions of Windows-based computers unable to boot up due to the “blue screen of death.”
In response, the company sent $10 Uber Eats gift cards to its contractors who are working to address the aftermath of a problematic software update that led to a major global technology disruption last week. The gift cards were meant as a gesture of appreciation for the contractors who have been working hard to manage the fallout from the disastrous software update.
In an email to “CrowdStrike partners” – the contractors involved in managing accounts for cybersecurity customers – the company apologized for “the additional work the July 19 incident has caused.” The email, reportedly sent in the name of CrowdStrike’s Chief Business Officer Daniel Bernard, included a promo code for Uber Eats, stating “To express our gratitude, your next cup of coffee or late night snack is on us!”
Gift card codes deactivated
However, some users reported that the gift card codes had been deactivated shortly after being distributed, with one user saying “Two hours later the code is cancelled and the $10 removed from Uber Eats account. That’s an uhh…interesting way to apologize to partners.”
Update: Our preliminary Post Incident Review (PIR) is available at the link below. Details include the incident overview, remediation actions, and preliminary learnings. More to come in our full Root Cause Analysis (RCA).
Automated recovery techniques, coupled with strategic…
— CrowdStrike (@CrowdStrike) July 24, 2024
CrowdStrike clarifies gift card recipients
The cybersecurity company later clarified that the gift cards were sent to contractors on its payroll, not customers. “CrowdStrike did not send gift cards to customers or clients,” a company spokesperson told TechCrunch. “We did send these to our teammates and partners who have been helping customers through this situation. Uber flagged it as fraud because of high usage rates.”
Root cause of the meltdown
The software update that caused the global meltdown was part of CrowdStrike’s rapid response plan, which is meant to update cybersecurity systems to combat new threats. However, a bug in the company’s quality control system prevented it from identifying flawed data included in the routine update.
Read more: Widespread Microsoft outage cripples airports, businesses after CrowdStrike glitch
CrowdStrike’s apology and explanation
In a lengthy report published on Wednesday, CrowdStrike explained the technical details behind the incident. CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz also issued a statement last Friday, saying “I want to sincerely apologize directly to all of you for the outage. All of CrowdStrike understands the gravity and impact of the situation.”
Widespread impact of the meltdown
Moreover, the global tech meltdown is expected to cost Fortune 500 companies billions of dollars, with Microsoft estimating that around 8.5 million devices were likely affected, stranding passengers in airports and disrupting hospital operations around the world.
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