Banks, Airlines, Media Hit By Global IT Outage

• Experts link issues to Windows PCs
• Cybersecurity firm, Crowdstrike blames software update
• Downing Street holds Emergency Cobra meeting 

A global Information Technology (IT) outage has caused chaos at airports, banks, railways, and businesses across the globe as a wide range of services were taken offline with millions of people affected by the sudden development.

Reports indicated that the widespread outage linked to Windows workstations affected major companies, including Sky News UK, Gatwick Airport and Thameslink

In one of the most widespread IT crashes ever to hit companies and institutions globally, air transport ground to a halt, hospitals were affected and large numbers of workers were unable to access their computers.

According to the reports, in the United Kingdom (UK), Sky News was taken off the air temporarily and the NHS GP booking system was down.

Microsoft’s Windows service was at the centre of the outage, with experts linking the problem to a software update from cybersecurity firm, Crowdstrike that has affected computer systems around the world. Experts said the outage could take days to recover because every PC may have to be fixed manually.

Overnight, Microsoft confirmed it was investigating an issue with its services and apps, with the organization’s service health website warning of “service degradation” that meant users may not be able to access many of the company’s most popular services, used by millions of business and people around the world.

The affected firms include Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, which said on its website; “Potential disruptions across the network (Fri 19 July) due to a global third party system outage … We advise passengers to arrive at the airport three hours in advance of their flight to avoid any disruptions.”

In the US, flights were grounded owing to communications problems that appear to be linked to the outage. American Airlines, Delta, and United Airlines were among the carriers affected.

Similarly, Berlin airport temporarily halted all flights on Monday, while in Australia, Melbourne airport advised customers it was “experiencing a global technology issue which is impacting check-in procedures for some airlines”.

Cybersecurity firm, Crowdstrike Blames IT Outage On Software Update
Amid the global IT outage, CrowdStrike President George Kurtz said the problem was caused by a “defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts”.

He wrote on X; “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.

We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. We further recommend organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.

Downing Street Speaks On Emergency Cobra Meeting At Official Level
An emergency Cobra meeting was held at an official level, rather than ministers, this morning to discuss the IT chaos, Downing Street said on Friday

A No 10 spokeswoman told reporters; “We recognise the impact this is having on services and the Government is working closely with the respective sectors and industries on this issue, which is affecting services not only across the UK but also globally.

“Officials have met in the Cobra unit on this this morning and of course, are updating ministers regularly on this issue.”

According to her, she was not aware of plans for a Cobra gathering with Ministers present. Asked why Sir Keir Starmer did not chair the meeting of the committee, she said; “The Prime Minister’s had bilaterals with President Zelensky and Cabinet this morning, but all ministers including the Prime Minister are being kept informed with the latest.”

The spokeswoman also said she is not aware of any government business being hit by the outage. – With Agencies report