Global Tech Outage Disrupts Operations Across Industries
On Friday, a widespread global tech outage caused chaos in various industries, with airlines being forced to halt flights, broadcasters experiencing disruptions, and sectors ranging from banking to healthcare being impacted by system issues.
Airlines Ground Flights Due to Communication Problems
American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and Allegiant Air were among the carriers that grounded flights due to communication problems. This decision came shortly after Microsoft announced that it had resolved a cloud services outage affecting several low-cost airlines, although the connection between the two incidents was not immediately clear.
United Airlines released a statement attributing the disruption to a third-party software outage affecting computer systems worldwide. As a result, the airline was holding all aircraft at their departure airports until the issue could be resolved. Flights that were already en route to their destinations were allowed to continue.
Australia Links Outages to Cybersecurity Firm Issue
Australia’s government reported that outages experienced by media outlets, banks, and telecom companies in the country seemed to be connected to an issue at global cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike. The exact nature of this connection was not detailed in the government’s statement.
Crowdstrike Software Causes Windows Crashes
According to reports from clients and Reuters, Crowdstrike’s “Falcon Sensor” software is causing Microsoft Windows to crash and display the infamous “Blue Screen of Death.” The issue has affected users worldwide.
Alert and Workaround
An alert was sent at 0530 GMT on Friday, providing users with a manual workaround to resolve the crashing issue. However, Crowdstrike has not responded to requests for comments regarding the situation.
Outage Not Cyber Security Related
Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator’s office stated that there was no evidence to suggest that the outage was the result of a cyber security incident. The impact of the outages was widespread, affecting various industries.
Global Impact
The travel industry was hit particularly hard, with airports in Tokyo, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Spain experiencing system problems and delays. International airlines, including Ryanair, also reported issues with their booking systems and other disruptions.
In the UK, booking systems utilizing the Crowdstrike software were also affected by the crashes.
Major Outages Reported Across Multiple Sectors
Reports from medical officials on X indicated that doctors were offline, causing disruptions in the healthcare sector. Meanwhile, Sky News, a leading news broadcaster, was also experiencing technical difficulties and apologized for the interruption in their live broadcast.
Financial Institutions Issue Warnings
Financial institutions ranging from Australia to India and South Africa issued warnings to clients about potential disruptions to their services. LSEG Group, a prominent financial services provider, reported an outage on its data and news platform Workspace.
Cloud Service Provider Investigates Connectivity Issues
Amazon’s AWS cloud service provider released a statement acknowledging reports of connectivity issues to Windows EC2 instances and Workspaces within AWS. The company stated that they were actively investigating the root cause of the problem.
Uncertainty Surrounds the Outages
It remains unclear whether all the reported outages were related to Crowdstrike problems or if there were other underlying issues at play. The situation is evolving, and affected sectors are working to address the disruptions as quickly as possible.