The outage was traced to cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, triggered by a software update to one of its products, according to Reuters. The update affected companies using Microsoft’s Windows operating system. “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,” CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz wrote in a statement posted to X. “This is not a security incident or cyberattack,” he added, while explaining that a fix has been deployed. In an early morning alert to clients, CrowdStrike reported that its “Falcon Sensor” software caused Windows systems to crash and display a blue screen, commonly known as the “Blue Screen of Death,” Reuters reported. "IT security tools are all designed to ensure that companies can continue to operate in the worst-case scenario of a data breach, so to be the root cause of a global IT outage is an unmitigated disaster," Ajay Unni, CEO of StickmanCyber, one of Australia's largest cybersecurity services companies, told Reuters. Speculation quickly arose that the outage might be the largest computer outage in history. “I don't think it's too early to call it: this will be the largest IT outage in history,” said Troy Hunt, a security consultant quoted by Daily Mail. “This is basically what we were all worried about with Y2K, except it's actually happened this time.”On July 19, a global technology outage caused widespread disruptions across multiple sectors, including airlines, banks, media companies, medical facilities, grocery stores, financial trading markets, and emergency services.
12-hour timelapse of American Airlines, Delta, and United plane traffic after what was likely the biggest IT outage in history forced a nationwide ground stop of the three airlines. pic.twitter.com/wwcQeiEtVe BREAKING: This is set to be the biggest IT outage in history The outage caused significant disruptions worldwide. In the U.S., the FAA reported that multiple airlines, including United, American, Delta, and Allegiant, had been grounded. Passengers were seen sleeping at Los Angeles International Airport, while long lines formed at airports around the world. By 6 a.m., operations had resumed, but more than 2,600 delays and over 1,240 cancellations persisted, according to CBS reporter Kris Van Cleave.
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) July 19, 2024
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) July 19, 2024
American, Delta, United all say they've begun restarting their operations following this Microsoft/Cloudstrike IT issue but definitely still seeing impacts--delays/cancellations today. 2600+ delays and rising, 1240+ cancels and rising. In Germany, Berlin-Brandenburg Airport halted flights for several hours due to check-in difficulties, while landings at Zurich Airport were suspended, and flights in Hungary, Italy, and Turkey were disrupted, according to the Associated Press (AP). Dutch airline KLM was forced to suspend most of its operations. In Asia, many airlines resorted to manually checking in passengers. The outage also caused problems at most doctors’ offices across England, affecting the appointment and patient record system throughout the public health system, the AP noted. Some hospitals in Germany canceled all elective surgeries scheduled for July 19. Kurtz said that customers that were impacted can view the latest updates through CrowdStrike’s support portal and that continuous updates will be available through the website. “We further recommend organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels,” he wrote. “Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”
— Kris Van Cleave (@krisvancleave) July 19, 2024
