Delta Air Lines sues CrowdStrike over $500 million loss from IT outage, blames faulty update

Delta Air Lines has filed a lawsuit against cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, seeking over $500 million in damages after a software update allegedly caused a massive IT outage in July, resulting in 7,000 flight cancellations and substantial revenue losses.

Delta accuses CrowdStrike of negligence and breach of contract, claiming the faulty update bypassed safeguards and caused widespread system crashes on Microsoft Windows computers. Delta alleges that CrowdStrike’s software update created a security flaw that allowed unauthorised access.

Despite CrowdStrike’s apology and changes to prevent similar issues, Delta argues that it deserves full compensation for the disruption.

Contacted by Aviation24.be, a CrowdStrike spokesperson said: “While we aimed to reach a business resolution that puts customers first, Delta has chosen a different path. Delta’s claims are based on disproven misinformation, demonstrate a lack of understanding of how modern cybersecurity works, and reflect a desperate attempt to shift blame for its slow recovery away from its failure to modernise its antiquated IT infrastructure.”