Businesses and services worldwide are gradually returning to normal following a massive IT outage that affected systems on Thursday and Friday.
The disruption was triggered by a faulty software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, impacting Microsoft Windows users and causing significant issues for businesses, banks, hospitals, and airlines.
CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz has issued an apology for the disruption and confirmed that a fix has been released. However, he cautioned that it could take some time before all systems are fully restored. While some airline services have resumed, delays and cancellations are expected to continue over the weekend.
Many businesses are now dealing with backlogs and missed orders, which could take days to resolve. Health services in countries like Britain, Israel, and Germany also experienced significant issues, with some operations being cancelled.
The incident has raised concerns about the vulnerability of interconnected technologies and the potential impact of a single software glitch on a global scale. The problem began at 19:00 GMT on Thursday, affecting Windows users running CrowdStrike Falcon. Although the issue became fully apparent by Friday morning, the fallout has been widespread.
By Friday evening, the situation was improving in many regions, with numerous airports reporting that while check-in and payment systems still faced issues, most flights were operational. Hong Kong International Airport has resumed normal operations, according to Chinese state media. In the US, JP Morgan Chase, the largest bank, is working to restore ATM services. The website Downdetector, which tracks tech issues, showed a reduction in reported problems in the UK by the end of the day.
CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz addressed the issue on social media, stating that the defect was found “in a single content update for Windows hosts.”
He expressed deep regret for the disruption caused to customers, travellers, and the company itself. Kurtz mentioned that while many systems are rebooting and coming back online, full recovery for some systems might take additional time.
Microsoft has indicated that multiple reboots may be necessary, with some users reporting as many as 15 reboots to resolve the issue. Tech experts also noted that CrowdStrike’s fix must be applied to each affected device individually.
The incident has sparked questions about CrowdStrike’s role as a major player in the cybersecurity market and the implications of having such critical industry components controlled by a few companies. CrowdStrike’s shares dropped by approximately 12% on Friday, benefiting rivals SentinelOne and Palo Alto Networks.
The first signs of the problem were noticed in Australia, with the air travel industry being among the hardest hit. Airports experienced significant delays, long queues, and flight cancellations, leading to stranded passengers. Additional staff were brought in to manage the situation manually. By 18:00 GMT, aviation data from Cirium indicated that over 4,000 flights, or 3.9% of the total, had been cancelled on Friday, though some cancellations may have been due to other reasons.
The outage affected payment systems, banking services, and healthcare providers worldwide. The longer-term impact may include difficulties in paying staff wages, particularly for companies that process weekly payments. Some railway companies also warned of delays, and broadcasters such as Sky News and ABC Australia experienced outages.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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