CrowdStrike class action claims software update crashed millions of computers worldwide

CrowdStrike software update class action overview: 

• Who: A group of U.S. travelers have sued CrowdStrike.
• Why: The plaintiffs say the company is responsible for a July 19 global IT outage that ruined their travel plans, costing them money.
• Where: The CrowdStrike class action lawsuit was filed in a Texas federal court.

CrowdStrike has been hit with a class action lawsuit by travelers who claim the company’s negligence led to a global IT outage that disrupted millions of computers and thousands of flights. 

Plaintiffs Julio del Rio, Jack Murphy and Steven Bixby filed the class action complaint against cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Inc. on Aug. 5 in a Texas federal court, alleging negligence.

The lawsuit follows a catastrophic software update for the company’s Falcon platform that caused millions of computers to crash and led to widespread disruptions, including massive airline delays and cancellations.

A global IT disaster

On July 19, CrowdStrike released a routine security update for its Falcon platform, which is widely used by companies across various industries, including aviation. 

However, instead of enhancing security, the update contained serious bugs that caused over 8.5 million devices worldwide to become inoperable, the lawsuit says. 

The plaintiffs allege that CrowdStrike’s failure to properly test and implement the update led to one of the largest global IT system outages in history, now referred to as the “CrowdStrike Outage.”

The consequences of the outage were particularly severe in the aviation sector, where airline and airport IT systems were crippled, the lawsuit says.

This resulted in a cascade of flight delays and cancellations, leaving thousands of travelers stranded in airports around the world. 

The lawsuit details how the outage disrupted the lives of countless passengers, who were forced to spend additional money on meals, lodging, and alternative travel arrangements.

Plaintiff speaks for class

Plaintiff Julio del Rio’s story is one example. He says he and his spouse had bought tickets for a direct flight from Hawaii’s Kona International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport on July 19. 

However, due to the IT failure, their flight was repeatedly delayed and ultimately canceled. Del Rio was forced to spend $1,200 on a new flight to San Francisco, only to face further delays and cancellations upon arrival, he alleges. 

He ended up stranded overnight at the airport, where he developed neck and back pain from sleeping on benches, he says. Del Rio eventually had to take multiple flights and pay for additional transportation, arriving home nearly 17 hours later than originally planned.

As a result, the plaintiffs are suing on behalf of all United States citizens who had a flight delayed or canceled as a result of the CrowdStrike outage. 

They are suing for negligence, public nuisance and violations of California consumer laws and are seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial. The lawsuit also calls for declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent similar incidents like this in the future.

Meanwhile, multiple class action lawsuits have recently been filed against companies due to data breach incidents. The class action lawsuits argue that companies, including Intuit, Ticketmaster, Live Nation, AT&T and several others failed to adequately safeguard and secure consumers’ data in such a way that would have prevented the data breaches. 

Were you affected by the CrowdStrike global IT outage? Let us know in the comments. 

The plaintiffs are represented by Cory Fein Law Firm and Barnow and Associates P.C.

The CrowdStrike class action lawsuit is del Rio et al. v. CrowdStrike Inc, Case No. 1:24-cv-00881-RP in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

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