Microsoft hosts cybersecurity summit after CrowdStrike incident

Taking place at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, the conference marked Microsoft's first major step toward addressing the issues that affected nearly 8.5 million Windows devices on July 19, 2024, and disrupted operations across industries ranging from airlines to banking and healthcare.

The CrowdStrike incident has raised concerns that many organizations are not well prepared to implement contingency plans when a “link” such as an IT system fails, or a piece of software within it crashes.

According to analysts, the incident also exposed the risks of relying on a single provider to provide a complete package of security solutions.

Speaking at a cybersecurity conference in Redmond, David Weston, a senior expert at Microsoft, emphasized: “The Windows security ecosystem must work together to innovate to create a safer and more trusted world .”

Delta Air Lines said it is taking legal action against cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike and Microsoft after a computer system failure forced the airline to cancel flights and cost it at least $500 million.