Businesses and services around the world are slowly recovering after a massive IT outage affected computer systems for hours on Thursday and Friday.
Businesses, banks, hospitals, and airlines were hit hard when a faulty software update from Crowdstrike disrupted Microsoft Windows systems.
Crowdstrike’s CEO apologized for the disruption and said a fix had been issued, but admitted it could take “some time” before all systems were back up and running.
Some airline services are beginning to return to normal after thousands of flights were canceled, but delays and cancellations are expected to continue through the weekend.
Many businesses are now dealing with backlogs and missed orders that could take days to resolve. Health services in Britain, Israel, and Germany also suffered problems, with some operations canceled.
The global chaos has raised concerns about the vulnerability of interconnected technologies and the impact of a single software glitch.
The issue began at 19:00 GMT on Thursday, affecting Windows users running CrowdStrike Falcon cybersecurity software, according to Microsoft.
The full extent of the problem became clear by Friday morning, but by Friday evening, the situation was easing in many parts of the world.
Airports reported ongoing issues with check-in and payment systems, but most flights were running.
Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz said on X that a defect was found “in a single content update for Windows hosts”. He apologized for the impact on customers, travelers, and others affected, including their own company.
Microsoft said several reboots might be required, with some users needing up to 15 reboots before the problem was fixed. Tech experts said Crowdstrike’s fix would have to be applied to each affected device separately.
Crowdstrike’s shares fell by around 12% on Friday, while rivals SentinelOne and Palo Alto Networks benefited.
The problems were first noticed in Australia, hitting the air travel industry hardest. Airports experienced long queues, canceled flights, grounded aircraft, and stranded passengers.
More than 4,000 flights, or 3.9% of the total, were canceled by 18:00 GMT on Friday.
Payment systems, banking, and healthcare providers worldwide were affected. Some companies might struggle to pay wages, especially where payments are made weekly.
Railway companies warned of delays, and broadcasters Sky News and ABC Australia experienced outages.
This incident has highlighted the risks of relying on a small number of companies for crucial cybersecurity services and the potential for widespread disruption from a single software issue.
(Source: BBC)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg3m4jgdprxo