Malaysia’s Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo has announced that he has requested global tech giants Microsoft and CrowdStrike to consider compensating businesses affected by last week’s global tech outage.
The disruption occurred after a faulty update to CrowdStrike’s security software caused computers running Microsoft’s Windows OS to crash on 19th July. This incident led to widespread internet service interruptions and impacted various industries globally.
In Malaysia, five government agencies and nine companies across aviation, banking, and healthcare sectors were among those affected, Gobind informed reporters.
Gobind revealed that he had engaged with Microsoft and CrowdStrike representatives to obtain a detailed report on the incident and to urge the companies to implement measures to prevent future outages.
“If there are any damages or losses, where there have been any parties that have made such claims, I’ve asked them to consider those claims and see to what extent they are able to help resolve the issue,” Gobind said, adding that the government would also assist on the claims where possible.
The exact amount of the losses has not yet been determined, he said.
On Tuesday, Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A, which operates budget carrier AirAsia, stated that airlines affected by the IT outage should be compensated for their losses. “The principle is that if we do something wrong, we have to compensate. We, other airlines, and other businesses lost a lot. They should offer us compensation, and right now, we have to wait and see,” Fernandes was quoted by state news agency Bernama.
