CrowdStrike has refuted allegations by Delta Air Lines that the cybersecurity firm was responsible for a daylong disruption to flights following last month’s catastrophic system outage, saying the airline rejected multiple offers to help restore affected systems.
In a letter, CrowdStrike reiterated its apology for public comments regarding Delta’s pursuit of legal claims but said it “strongly denies any allegations of gross negligence or willful misconduct.” CrowdStrike said the lawsuit threat “fueled the misleading narrative that CrowdStrike was responsible for Delta’s IT decisions and response to the outage,” noting that rival airlines were able to resume operations much more quickly.
“CrowdStrike’s CEO personally contacted Delta’s CEO to request on-site assistance but received no response,” CrowdStrike attorney Michael Carlinsky said in the letter. Carlinsky said CrowdStrike tried multiple times to Provide assistance, including providing on-site support, but are informed that resources are not required for the latter.
“If Delta follows this path, Delta will have to explain to the public, shareholders and ultimately a jury why CrowdStrike is responsible for its actions — quickly, transparently and constructively — and Delta will be responsible for its actions,” Kalinsky said. The airline has not. The letter also states that CrowdStrike’s contractual liability is capped in the “millions” and that the company will “aggressively pursue” litigation “if forced.” We have reached out to Delta for comment if we hear back. , we will update this story.
