CrowdStrike: Amid Outage, Delta Turned Down Our Help

Cybersecurity firm responds to lawsuit threat with a big claim
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 6, 2024 8:33 AM CDT
CrowdStrike Claims Delta Refused Help Amid Outage
Travelers stand in line at a Delta Air Lines counter during a global technology outage at Reagan National Airport on Friday, July 19, 2024, in Arlington, Va.   (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

If Delta Air Lines wants CrowdStrike to pay for disruptions caused by last month's massive computer outage, it'll have to explain why it ignored direct offers of assistance, the cybersecurity firm said Sunday. CrowdStrike responded to what it said was a public threat of litigation in a letter addressed to attorney David Boies, whom Delta has hired to pursue compensation from both Microsoft and CrowdStrike. Delta CEO Ed Bastian has claimed a faulty software update cost the airline $500 million. He's also claimed the people at CrowdStrike "haven't offered us anything," per CNN.

Baloney, says CrowdStrike attorney Michael Carlinsky. His letter claims CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz personally offered onsite assistance to Bastian during the worst of the outage, but the request was ignored. What's more, Delta later told CrowdStrike it didn't need any help, the letter claims. It adds Delta's threat of litigation has "contributed to a misleading narrative that CrowdStrike is responsible for Delta's IT decisions and response to the outage." In fact, CrowdStrike "strongly rejects any allegation that it was grossly negligent or committed willful misconduct."

If Delta does sue for damages, the airline will have to explain why it "turned down free onsite help from CrowdStrike professionals who assisted many other customers to restore operations much more quickly than Delta" and "why Delta's competitors, facing similar challenges, all restored operations much faster," the letter says, per Reuters. Bastian previously told CNBC the airline had "no choice" but to sue for damages, including "reputational damage," after canceling thousands of flights. Carlinsky notes CrowdStrike's contracts cap liabilities "in the single-digit millions," per Reuters. (More Delta Air Lines stories.)

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