This afternoon, a massive IT outage affected businesses, airlines, banks, stock exchanges, supermarkets, media, telecoms, and health institutions. People were left wondering for hours what had caused this outage. However, Microsoft came forward, mentioning that they are addressing a problem with Microsoft 365 apps and services.
Experts suggest that the issue stems from an update by global security software provider CrowdStrike. The update impacted the CrowdStrike Falcon platform, which businesses and organizations use for security monitoring.
What Exactly Happened?
All of a sudden, many screens of big institutions started showing the typical blue error screen of Microsoft. The Impacts of this Microsoft outage were far and beyond the imagination.
A large number of businesses worldwide are experiencing outages. Major airlines, banks, shops, and many other businesses have suspended operations. Thousands of people are left without any help at airports. Moreover, the bus and train services may also be affected.
Impact of this Microsoft Outage
This IT Outage affected giant institutions across the globe. However, individuals can feel safe about their home computers as they are unlikely to be affected. CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform is typically used by large businesses and enterprise customers.
Let’s look at some of the major affected areas:
Airport Services
- Major airlines such as Delta, United, and American Airlines were grounded on Friday morning due to a communication issue. The Federal Aviation Administration provided an update on this disruption due to this Microsoft Windows outage.
- In Australia, flight information screens at Sydney Airport went blank, causing confusion among travellers. Flights were delayed due to this Microsoft Outage.
- Melbourne Airport experienced affected check-in procedures for some airlines, advising passengers to allow extra time for check-in and to stay updated with their airlines.
- In the United Kingdom, Germany, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines, Airports also reported disruptions to services. Travelers experienced delays and inconveniences due to the IT outage.
- All airports in Spain experienced disruptions, according to the airport operator Aena. This widespread impact underscores the global reach of the outage.
- The Hong Kong Airport Authority reported that airlines affected by the outage switched to manual check-in procedures. Despite this adjustment, flight operations continued without significant disruptions.
- Kenya Airways faced an impacted booking system, warning customers to expect slower service than usual.
Financial Institutions
- Australia’s largest bank, Commonwealth Bank (CBA.AX), informed customers about disruptions in their ability to transfer money. This outage affected clients’ access to their funds and banking services.
- The London Stock Exchange (LSE) experienced a technical glitch that disrupted its news service and delayed the display of opening trades. This issue highlighted the vulnerability of financial systems to IT outages.
- The IT outage also affected the stock market. Shares of Microsoft and CrowdStrike trended lower in pre-market trading, with CrowdStrike down by 18.67% and Microsoft by 2.5%. This drop reflects the broader impact on businesses worldwide, including major banks, media outlets, and airlines.
Media
- Sky News, one of the UK’s major news broadcasters, went off air due to the outage. The network apologized for being unable to transmit live, showing the outage’s disruption to media services.
- Australia’s national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Network Ten confirmed that their systems were affected. This interruption impacted their ability to broadcast and provide regular updates.
In the UK, booking systems used by doctors were offline, affecting medical services. Victoria’s state police in Australia reported that some internal systems were hit, although emergency services remained operational.
New Zealand’s parliamentary computer systems were also affected, as reported by Rafael Gonzalez-Montero, head of the parliamentary service.
Amazon’s AWS cloud service provider mentioned connectivity issues to Windows EC2 instances and Workspaces within AWS, affecting cloud services globally.
What led to this IT Outage
The problem appears to be due to a faulty software update. CrowdStrike’s cybersecurity software update caused Windows computers to crash, and it displayed the “blue screen of death,” a standard error screen.
Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator, Michelle McGuinness, stated on X (formerly Twitter) that there is no indication of a cybersecurity incident.
CrowdStrike experienced a major outage due to an update issue with its Falcon Sensor product. On July 15, CrowdStrike announced the Falcon Complete Next-Gen MDR, aimed at stopping breaches across the enterprise attack surface. However, the new update caused unexpected crashes.
What Is Being Done: The Resolution
A CrowdStrike representative stated that they are working on the issue. Notifications are being sent to customers, and support pages are providing guidance. To fix the affected computers- Boot the computer into “safe mode” and delete a specific file manually. This process is time-consuming and must be done for each affected machine.
More information will be available from the Australian Cyber Security Centre. The National Emergency Mechanism group will meet shortly to address the situation.
Final Line
The biggest question at this time is whether it is just a blue screen of a Microsoft update error or something darker and more serious. Some people are also suspecting it to be a gigantic cyberattack targeting worldwide institutions.
So stay and vigilant!
Also read our blog: 5 Best Free Password Manager For 2024
