Worldwide glitch hits Highland Lakes
A computer software upgrade with a bug wreaked havoc on businesses worldwide on Friday, July 19, including in the Highland Lakes.
Austin-based cybersecurity company CrowdStrike began a routine upgrade to its Falcon Sensor software late Thursday, July 18. The hacking protection software scans computers for signs of intruders.
The issue has been a minor inconvenience for some and a major disaster for others.
By mid-Friday morning, the corrupted software shut down over 2,000 American, Delta, and United Airlines flights, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in airports, including Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Maryland state courts and the Georgia Department of Driver Services were closed on Friday. Harris Health system, which runs the public hospitals and clinics in Houston, had to shut down for several hours.
In the Highland Lakes, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Marble Falls was affected but is still open for business.
“Patient care is safely continuing as we work through issues related to the technical disruption that is impacting computer systems across the globe,” a BSW spokesperson said in an email to DailyTrib.com. “Our priority is the health, safety, and well-being of those we serve and our team members.”
Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham reported no direct disruptions with the county’s computer systems but said some of its vendors were having issues.
Many of the problems centered on making payments with credit cards, including in Granite Shoals.
“Our accounting software is down, which impacts our ability to accept credit card payments,” City Manager Sarah Novo said. “We are accepting cash and check payments until everything is restored.”
A fix has been sent out to software users, said CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz, who issued an early morning statement on NBC’s “Today” show on Friday.
“We’re deeply sorry for the impact that we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected by this,” he said.
While the fix will automatically update on some computers, many will need to be rebooted to manually remove the old software before being restarted with the new, bug-free version.
CrowdStrike assured the public that the software problem was not part of a ransomware attack. Recently, separate cyberattacks shut down computer systems at Ascension Seton medical facilities and AutoNation Toyota car dealerships across the United States.