(Source- CNBC)
On Friday, a significant global technology outage impacted various sectors worldwide, grounding flights, disrupting banking services, and causing media blackouts. The widespread technical failure highlighted the reliance on a few major software providers. According to CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, the disruption was not due to a cyberattack or security breach. The Microsoft outage primarily affected Microsoft 365 applications and services, with issues persisting even after the company began addressing them. Websites such as DownDetector reported increasing outages across multiple services, including Visa, ADT Security, Amazon, and major airlines like American Airlines and Delta.
News outlets in Australia were among the hardest hit, with airlines, telecommunications providers, banks, and media broadcasters losing access to their computer systems. The impact extended to the UK, Europe, India, and New Zealand, where some banks and airlines reported being offline. Microsoft 365 announced on X that they were working to reroute impacted traffic to alternative systems to mitigate the issue more effectively. Despite these efforts, the company did not provide further details or additional comments on the cause of the outage.
Impact on Travel and Transportation
The technology outage led to major disruptions in the transportation sector, with airlines and airports experiencing significant challenges. In the U.S., major airlines such as United, American, Delta, and Allegiant had to ground flights. Passengers at Los Angeles International Airport faced extreme delays, with some even sleeping on jetway floors due to a delayed flight. Similarly, airlines, railways, and broadcasters in the UK, including budget airline Ryanair and train operators TransPennine Express, faced significant interruptions. Ryanair advised passengers to arrive at least three hours before their scheduled departure, while Edinburgh Airport reported longer waiting times. London’s Stansted Airport managed to continue flights but handled check-in services manually.
Australian airports also faced substantial delays, with passengers in Melbourne waiting over an hour to check in due to disabled online and self-service systems. In India, IndiGo airlines reported that the Microsoft outage affected their operations, causing inconvenience for thousands of travelers. The situation was echoed globally, with airports in Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Zurich reporting similar disruptions, including manual check-in processes and flight delays.
Effects on Financial and Healthcare Sectors
The outage severely impacted the financial sector, with banks in Australia, including NAB, Commonwealth, and Bendigo, experiencing significant issues. The disruption also affected telecommunications providers and airlines like Virgin Australia and Qantas. In the UK and Germany, hospitals faced challenges due to the outage, with some NHS practices in England and Schleswig-Holstein University Hospital in Germany reporting difficulties accessing patient records and scheduling appointments.
News organizations in Australia, such as ABC and Sky News, experienced broadcasting interruptions due to the technology failure. Similarly, South African banks reported nationwide service disruptions, affecting customer transactions at various retail locations. The New Zealand banks ASB and Kiwibank also faced service outages, further demonstrating the extensive impact of the global technology disruption.
CrowdStrike’s CEO George Kurtz confirmed that the issue was related to a defect in a Windows content update and not a cyberattack. Despite ongoing efforts to resolve the problem, many sectors remain affected as they work to restore normal operations.
