Microsoft blames European Commission for worst computer failure in its history, Brussels rejects accusations

Rellandini/AFP

Microsoft's largest global outage ever, which affected more than 8 million devices worldwide last Friday, is being blamed on the European Union (EU). At least, according to statements from the tech giant co-founded by Bill Gates. In a comment to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the Redmond firm attributed the outage, which shut down airports, hospitals and stock exchanges around the world, to an agreement it signed in 2009 with the European Commission (EC), requiring it to decompartmentalize its operating system to rival software publishers. The EC rejects these accusations.   

A major computer outage hit the world this Friday, affecting approximately 8.5 million Windows devices. The outage was caused by a faulty update to CrowdStrike cybersecurity software that was found to be incompatible with the Windows operating system. Thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed, financial institutions and their equipment were affected, medical procedures were delayed and television channels like Sky News were unable to broadcast.  

15 years later, Microsoft is still reeling! 

The screens thus displayed the “blue screen of death”, or the blue screen of death”. Microsoft confirmed the scale of the worst bug in its history, tempering the consequences by stating that this figure represented less than 1% of all machines using CrowdStrike. This software nevertheless remains very widely used in the “corporate” and its editor declared for its part that a “significant number” of affected computers were back online.  

Whose fault is it ? Having caused the outage through its failed update, CrowdStrike was quickly blamed. The publisher acknowledged its share of responsibility, publishing workarounds for its customers. Microsoft is not far behind. The technology giant is criticized for the potential flaws in its Windows operating system. But in the eyes of this member of GAFAM, the main culprit is none other than… the EU. 

The European Commission has accused Microsoft since the early 2000s of profiting from the monopoly given the popularity of its operating system. The standoff ended in 2009 with an agreement that essentially focused on two points of contention. It was about the possibility of choosing your browser to stop the hegemony of Internet Explorer and the interoperability of Microsoft products with third-party software.  

The Redmond firm was then “rejoicing” at “an important day” and “a big step forward,” saying it was “eager to continue the dialogue and trust that have been established between” the two parties. 15 years later, it is time for reproaches. In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft justified its inability to provide patches to block the Crowdstrike update with this agreement. 

This American publisher benefits from privileged access to a delicate and sensitive part of the devices, namely the kernel, like all the other security providers authorized by Microsoft to install their software on Windows to avoid an investigation by the EC. A Microsoft spokesman said the 2009 agreement “gives security software makers the same level of access to Windows that Microsoft enjoys,” which “could no more legally partition its operating system than Apple does.”  

EC dismisses charges 

When contacted by Euronews, the European Commission quickly reacted. A spokesperson rejected Microsoft's accusations, stating on Monday July 23 that the firm had never expressed its security concerns, either before or after” this global outage.   

The same source specifies that “Microsoft is free to decide on its business model. It is up to it to adapt its security infrastructure to respond to threats, in accordance with European competition law. In addition, consumers are free to benefit from competition and choose between different cybersecurity providers,” he emphasizes.  

The spokesperson did not fail to point out that “the incident was not limited to the European Union.” His argument is echoed by many observers and cybersecurity specialists, who have drawn parallels with Apple and its way of maintaining the “compartmentalization” of its operating system (OS). In 2020, the apple brand put an end to the “kernet extensions” that allowed publishers, including CrowdStrike, to deposit data in the kernel, forcing them to adapt.  

But the Cupertino firm is at risk of another investigation linked to competition, due to the exclusivity of its application store on its devices, particularly iPhones. The European Union intends to force the giant's hand to allow the installation of other “apps” stores”.  

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