Crowdstrike thanks employees with meal vouchers after IT failure

Austin. After the bug caused global computer outages, software company Crowdstrike is thanking overworked IT professionals with a $10 gift card. In the accompanying email, a top Crowdstrike executive noted that Friday’s PC crashes had created extra work for employees.

“To express our gratitude, the next coffee or late-night snack is on us,” the voucher from delivery service Uber Eats read, financial services firm Bloomberg reported Wednesday (local time). A Crowdstrike spokeswoman said the voucher codes went to team members and partners who helped the company’s customers restore their systems. They were not sent to customers, she told Bloomberg.

Problem identified

A faulty update to Crowdstrike’s IT security software caused widespread disruptions around the world, affecting an estimated 8.5 million Windows computers. The impact was felt most in air travel, but some supermarkets, hospitals and television stations also experienced problems.

Crowdstrike has since discovered that the software update testing mechanisms were allowing a faulty file through, causing Windows computers to crash. The testing systems are now being improved – and updates will be rolled out gradually in the future so that any issues don’t immediately affect all customers.

RND/dpa