CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz has provided crucial updates regarding the cybersecurity firm’s recent downtime, reassuring customers that the incident was not a security breach or cyberattack.

According to a post on the X social platform, the downtime resulted from a defect in a single content update affecting Windows hosts, while Mac and Linux hosts remained unaffected.

Windows defect clarified

Kurtz stated that CrowdStrike is addressing a defect in a content update for Windows hosts, clarifying that it is not a security incident or cyberattack. He said the issue had been identified, isolated and fixed.

He urged customers to refer to the support portal for the latest updates and emphasized the importance of communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels.

The world experienced a global outage affecting many systems running Microsoft’s Windows, which caused significant disruptions to critical services, including emergency services, banking, air travel and broadcasting. The issue appears to be related to CrowdStrike’s cybersecurity software.

Impact on CrowdStrike’s stock

The CEO’s clarification will likely come as a relief to users concerned about the potential implications of the downtime.

Related: Microsoft, Google and others warn AI may threaten business

Microsoft 365 Status reported on X on July 18 at 11:41 pm UTC that it was investigating an issue preventing users from accessing various Microsoft 365 apps and services. According to Microsoft’s latest update at 7:55 am UTC, the company is making progress in restoring availability to multiple services as it continues to troubleshoot the problem.

The crypto community has swiftly capitalized on the situation, creating a slew of new memecoins on Ethereum and Solana inspired by the CrowdStrike and the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” error screen.

According to CNBC, CrowdStrike’s stock had soared 118% in the past year, but its shares plummeted 15% in premarket trading on July 19. As the stock fell, rival cybersecurity firms saw gains, likely due to investors betting that businesses may switch to competing services.