- Microsoft said the issue began at 1900 GMT on Thursday, affecting users of its Azure cloud platform running cybersecurity software CrowdStrike Falcon. “We advise customers who are able to restore from an earlier backup before this time,” the US software giant said in a technical update on its website.
- CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz said in a post on multiple social media platforms that a fix has been released for the issue, describing it as a “flaw found in a single content update for a Windows host.”
- From Amsterdam to Zurich, Singapore to Hong Kong, airport operators flagged technical problems disrupting their services. Some airports told planes they couldn’t land, while in others airline staff began manually checking passengers.
- Passengers were issued handwritten boarding passes at several airports in India. Several IndiGo flights were cancelled and rescheduled at Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad airports.
- Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) were actively managing the situation using manual methods to ensure minimum disruption. “Passengers are advised to cooperate with the airport staff during this period of disruption. We have instructed all airlines and airport authorities to keep passengers informed about their flight status and provide necessary assistance,” he said.
- The global nature of the software failure led some commentators to question the reliance on a single provider for so many services. CrowdStrike shares fell 20 percent in pre-market trading.
- Companies were working to restore their systems and assess the damage caused by the outage, while officials tried to calm any panic. France’s cybersecurity agency ANSSI said “there is no evidence that the outage is the result of a cyber attack.”
- Reports from both the Netherlands and Britain suggested the disruption may have affected health services, meaning the impact could eventually be even more widespread. Media companies were also struggling, with Britain’s Sky News saying the glitch had knocked out its morning newscast and Australia’s ABC reporting a similarly major “outage”.
- Banks in Kenya and Ukraine reported difficulties with some digital services, supermarkets in Australia had payment problems, mobile phone service providers were disrupted and customer services collapsed at many companies.
- Asian and European stock markets fell sharply after a global computer system crashed. The glitch on the London Stock Exchange caused trading delays, which affected airports, airlines, trains, banks, shops and even doctors’ surgeries.
With inputs from AFP
