Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike attempted to show appreciation to employees who helped during a recent global IT outage by offering $10 Uber Eats vouchers. However, Uber flagged it as a potential scam, thwarting the plan.
CrowdStrike confirmed sending $10 vouchers to individuals who assisted customers affected by the company’s faulty software updates. The outage impacted 8.5 million devices worldwide, causing disruptions in airports, hospitals, and TV stations.
Recipients of the vouchers experienced errors when redeeming them, as Uber had deactivated the cards due to a fraud alert triggered by high usage. CrowdStrike clarified that the vouchers were intended for teammates and partners, not clients.
The company expressed gratitude and apologized for any inconvenience caused by the incident in an email accompanying the vouchers. A report estimated the potential cost of the failed update to Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. at $5.4 billion.
CrowdStrike acknowledged the bug in the update that led to the outage and outlined steps to prevent future occurrences, such as a staged update rollout and increased customer control over updates. Air France-KLM and Delta Airlines reported significant losses due to the incident.
Source: www.theguardian.com
