Microsoft hosts cybersecurity summit after global IT outage

Microsoft held a summit on Tuesday to discuss steps to improve cybersecurity systems, after a faulty software update from CrowdStrike caused a global IT outage in July.

The conference marked the first significant step by Microsoft to address the issues that affected nearly 8.5 million Windows devices on July 19, disrupting operations across industries ranging from major airlines to banks and healthcare.

It was held at Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

The July outage raised concerns that many organizations are not well prepared to implement contingency plans when a single point of failure such as an IT system, or a piece of software within it, goes down. Analysts have said the outage also exposed risks of dependence on a single vendor providing a one-stop shop for security solutions.

Microsoft executive David Weston told the summit that the "Windows security ecosystem must come together to innovate a safer and more reliable world," according to a Microsoft post on X.

Delta Air Lines has said it was pursuing legal claims against CrowdStrike and Microsoft, after the outage caused mass flight cancellations and cost the carrier at least $500 million.