Delta Air Lines sued CrowdStrike on Friday, accusing the cybersecurity firm of cutting corners that caused a global technology outage that led to thousands of flight cancellations in July.
The airline is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for the outage, which began with a faulty update sent to millions of Microsoft computers. Delta Air Lines said the failure disrupted operations for several days and resulted in more than $500 million in lost revenue and additional costs.
CrowdStrike said Delta is giving “misinformation,” doesn’t understand cybersecurity and is trying to shift blame for its slow recovery from the outage.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating why Delta Air Lines took longer to recover than other airlines. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the department would also look into complaints about Delta’s customer service during the power outage, including reports of long waits for help and unaccompanied minors stranded at airports. said.
Delta Air Lines alleges in its lawsuit that the outage occurred because CrowdStrike failed to test the update before rolling it out globally.
Delta Air Lines canceled about 7,000 flights over a five-day period during the busy summer holiday season. The outage also affected banks, hospitals and other businesses.
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“CrowdStrike cut corners, took shortcuts, and circumvented the very testing and certification process it advertised for its own benefit and profit,” Delta Air Lines said in a lawsuit filed in Georgia’s Fulton County Superior Court. , which caused a global catastrophe.” Near the company’s headquarters.
A CrowdStrike spokesperson said the company had tried to resolve the dispute. One of the company’s lawyers said in August that CrowdStrike’s liability to Delta Air Lines was less than $10 million.
A spokesperson said Delta’s claims are “based on misinformation, demonstrate a lack of understanding of how modern cybersecurity works, and are not responsible for the slow recovery.” “This reflects a desperate attempt to shift away from the failure to modernize outdated IT infrastructure.”
