Airports, banks, hospitals, public transport systems and businesses across the globe suffered disruptive technical issues Friday morning thanks to a major tech outage.
Cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike has taken responsibility for the issue, saying a recent software update impacted Microsoft's Windows Operating System, causing it to crash and display the infamous "blue screen of death."
CrowdStrike, a U.S. firm that says it is used by over half of Fortune 500 companies, assured that the incident was "not a security incident or cyberattack." In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz said the company is "actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts."
In the meantime, airlines around the world were forced to ground flights as passengers faced delays and cancellations. Banks and retailers sent customers notice that they were unable to process payments, healthcare providers and patients were left unable to access records and public transport systems were delayed.
Here's a look at some of the scenes from around the globe.
AirAsia passengers wait to be checked in manually at Kuala Lumpur International Airport's Terminal 2, after a global IT system outage, in Sepang, Malaysia, July 19, 2024.
AirAsia passengers wait to be checked in manually at Kuala Lumpur International Airport's Terminal 2, after a global IT system outage, in Sepang, Malaysia, July 19, 2024.
A passenger looks at a flight schedule screen inside Don Mueang International Airport Terminal 1 amid system outages disrupting the airline's operations, in Bangkok, Thailand, July 19, 2024.
A sign notifies customers of a temporary closure due to IT issues at a Liquorland store in Canberra, Australia, July 19, 2024.
A cash register shows a blue screen at a grocery store affected by a cyber outage in Sydney, Australia July 19, 2024.
A blue error screen on a register is seen at a departmental store affected by a cyber outage in Brisbane, Australia, July 19, 2024.
A notice informing customers they cannot pay by card is displayed in the self-checkout area of a Waitrose supermarket, amid a global IT outage, in Canary Wharf, London, Britain, July 19, 2024.
United Airlines employees wait by a departures monitor displaying a blue error screen, also known as the “Blue Screen of Death” inside Terminal C in Newark International Airport, after United Airlines and other airlines grounded flights due to a worldwide tech outage caused by an update to CrowdStrike's "Falcon Sensor" software.
Carl Salazar (right) sleeps at Ronald Regan Washington National Airport while waiting for a delayed United flight on July 19, 2024 in Washington, DC.
July 19, 2024 - A cutout of the Paris 2024 Olympic mascot, Phryge is seen at the press accreditation centre amid a global IT outage disrupting the operations in Paris, France.
Olympic rings are seen as visitors walk at the Gare du Nord station on July 19, 2024 in Paris, France. Businesses, travel companies and Microsoft users across the globe were among those affected by a tech outage today.
Passengers stands in a line at Delta Airlines’ counter following a global IT outage, at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, Japan July 19, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Passengers queue at airline counters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 19, 2024.
Microsoft announced all previously impacted Microsoft 365 apps and services have recovered, while the FAA is "closely monitoring a technical issue impacting IT systems at U.S. airlines" and several airlines "have requested FAA assistance with ground stops until the issue is resolved." Follow here for live updates.
Businesses across the world are reporting IT outages, including Windows "blue screen of death" errors on their computers, in what has already become one of the most widespread IT disruptions in recent years. The outage — linked to a software update from popular cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike — has affected computers running Microsoft Windows at organizations across various sectors, including airlines, banks, retailers, brokerage houses, media companies and railway networks. CrowdStrike's chief executive, George Kurtz, confirmed in a post on X that a "defect" in a content update for Windows hosts had caused the outage, and Kurtz ruled out a cyberattack.
A faulty software update issued by security giant CrowdStrike has resulted in a massive overnight outage that’s affected Windows computers around the world, disrupting businesses, airports, train stations, banks, broadcasters and the healthcare sector. CrowdStrike said the outage was not caused by a cyberattack, but was the result of a "defect" in a software update for its flagship security product, Falcon Sensor. The defect caused any Windows computers that Falcon is installed on to crash without fully loading.
The CrowdStrike debacle — a bug in the company's Windows software that had the disastrous effect of rendering PCs unusable — has disrupted flights, canceled elective medical treatments, and left many an office worker twiddling their thumbs for hours. Unsurprisingly, it's also tanked CrowdStrike's stock price, even as the company's CEO, George Kurtz, promises a fix and systems begin to crawl back online. While it's difficult to assess at present the business fallout from what's being called the worst IT outage in history, investors appear to be sensing opportunity.
The CrowdStrike outage that hit early Friday morning and knocked out computers running Microsoft Windows has grounded flights globally. Major U.S. airlines including United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have halted flight operations around the world. According to FlightAware, which is tracking the cancellations live, 7% of United Airlines flights, 8% of American Airlines flights and 12% of Delta flights have been canceled.
On Friday morning, as the East Coast woke up to one of the most widespread IT disruptions ever due to a faulty CrowdStrike update, a priceless image circulated across X, accumulating millions of views. It appeared that the Sphere — the ostentatious new addition to the Las Vegas skyline, with 580,000 square feet of programmable LEDs on its exterior — had succumbed to the blue screen of death. It would be easy to believe this photo was real; after all, we're seeing images of the blue screen of death in airports and hospitals around the world.
Around the world, thousands of people like Nicole have had a wrench thrown into their plans due to this outage, which knocked out countless computers running Microsoft Windows. “We were a little bit nervous about [transporting the engagement ring] anyway, but then this just added a whole layer of complexity to it,” Nicole told TechCrunch. Now, the Delta flight she planned to take with her husband early Friday morning has been delayed until 3 p.m. ET at least.
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