A major IT outage has affected a wide array of global institutions, including hospitals, major banks, media outlets, and airlines. The disruption has hindered their ability to offer services, causing widespread inconvenience and operational challenges.
International airports across India, Hong Kong, the UK, and the US have reported significant issues, with numerous airlines grounding flights and experiencing delays. In the US, major airlines such as United, Delta, and American Airlines implemented a "global ground stop" on all flights, while Australian carriers Virgin and Jetstar faced delays and cancellations. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, over 1,000 flights worldwide have been cancelled due to the outages.
At Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, passengers experienced "absolute chaos," with manual processes replacing automated systems. Similar situations were reported in airports in Tokyo, Berlin, Prague, and Zurich, where operations were significantly hampered.
Emergency services and hospitals have also been severely impacted. In the US state of Alaska, officials warned that the 911 system might be unavailable, and some hospitals have had to cancel surgeries. In Australia, however, authorities confirmed that triple-0 call centres were unaffected.
Hospitals in Germany and Israel reported service disruptions, while GP services in the UK were also affected. These interruptions have raised concerns about the ability of medical facilities to provide timely care.
The media sector did not escape the impact, with many broadcast networks in Australia experiencing on-air difficulties. Sky News UK went off air for a period but has since resumed broadcasting. Retail operations were also disrupted, with supermarkets like Coles in Australia facing payment system failures, forcing the closure of self-checkout tills.
Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has confirmed that a defective software update for its Microsoft Windows hosts caused the outage. In a statement, CrowdStrike assured that the issue had been identified, isolated, and a fix deployed, emphasising that the incident was not a cyberattack. They advised organisations to communicate with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels to ensure proper coordination.
Earlier in the day, a Microsoft 365 service update had noted an issue impacting users' ability to access various Microsoft 365 apps and services. Microsoft later reported that most services were restored within a few hours.
The outage has highlighted the vulnerabilities of global IT systems and the widespread reliance on third-party software. A spokesperson for Australia's home affairs ministry attributed the issues to a technical problem with a third-party software platform used by the affected companies. The country's cybersecurity watchdog confirmed that there was no evidence of a malicious attack.
As companies scramble to resolve the issues, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the critical need for robust IT infrastructure and effective crisis management strategies. The global scale of the disruption underscores the interconnected nature of modern technology and the potential for widespread impact when systems fail.
This incident will likely prompt a reevaluation of cybersecurity measures and disaster recovery plans across various sectors, emphasising the importance of resilience and preparedness in the digital age.
