Security vendor CrowdStrike will face scrutiny after its bad software update, but the situation doesn’t create an immediate competitive displacement opportunity.
As everyone either heard or experienced, a bad CrowdStrike update on millions of Microsoft Windows-based systems caused global disruptions in travel, banking, and critical services. Some see the incident as an opportunity to disrupt CrowdStrike, a security market leader. However, the displacement opportunity is largely an illusion.
According to CrowdStrike and security analysts, the issue was not a hack or security breach but a conflict between the routine update of Falcon Content, CrowdStrike’s flagship service, and Windows. The automated distribution of this update triggered a cascading effect, resulting in global outages that stranded air and train travelers, disrupted business payrolls, and caused many digital displays to show the dreaded “blue screen of death.”