Microsoft's ‘Blue Screen of Death’ makes a return to computers around the world

Appearing everywhere from Macy’s flagship store to airports in India on Friday, the Blue Screen of Death has instilled panic in computer users for decades.

An image that has instilled panic in computer users for decades popped up on screens worldwide Friday: the dreaded “Blue Screen of Death.”

Appearing everywhere from Macy’s flagship store in New York City to airports in India, the Blue Screen of Death has long prompted groans and frantic questions of “Did my work save?” It’s a Microsoft Windows error screen indicative of a system crash — meaning a computer issue has resulted in the operating system no longer being able to run safely.

An unwanted sight that has become so widely known over its more than 30-year existence, it’s sometimes referred to by its acronym, BSoD. On Friday, the blue screen taunted millions globally amid a widespread technology outage that halted flights, knocked broadcasters off the air and disconnected some emergency phone lines. Texas-based cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said early Friday that the outage was the result of a “defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,” not a cyberattack, and that a fix had been deployed.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/microsoft-blue-screen-of-death-global-outage-rcna162674

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