In an unprecedented IT debacle, a flawed software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. has triggered widespread disruptions across Microsoft Windows systems worldwide. The malfunction has led to significant interruptions in various sectors, affecting financial institutions in Hong Kong, healthcare services in the UK, and aviation operations in India.
The malfunction, first identified several hours ago, prompted an immediate response from both CrowdStrike and Microsoft Corp., which have since released patches to address the problem.
Here are key points on the issue:
Microsoft Chairman and CEO took to X (formerly Twitter) to acknowledge the issue, stating, “CrowdStrike’s recent update has had a global impact on IT systems. We are actively collaborating with CrowdStrike and industry partners to guide our customers through the recovery process and restore their systems securely.”
CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. announced that all Windows computers impacted by a global IT failure will need a manual reboot, reported Bloomberg. CEO George Kurtz explained in a CNBC interview that the issue stemmed from a content bug or update, which has since been rolled back, as per the wire.
He apologized to customers, noting that while some systems might take a few hours to come back online, others could take longer. Kurtz also mentioned potential manual steps required and the company's efforts to automate those steps.
CrowdStrike's technical support team, in a communication reviewed by Bloomberg News, stated that affected systems might need up to 15 reboots.
Airport hubs from Berlin to Delhi faced significant delays, cancellations, and stranded passengers on an unusually busy travel day. FlightAware reported over 21,000 global flight delays.
United Airlines and Delta Air Lines began to resume flights on Friday, but disruptions might persist for several days due to the peak travel season.
Additionally, American Airlines and Spirit Airlines, along with other US carriers, had temporarily halted flights, as noted by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The disruptions also affected critical infrastructure, including emergency services. According to Bloomberg, doctors at the UK's National Health Service were unable to access scans, blood tests, and patient histories. Both Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and Boston's Mass General Brigham reported that the CrowdStrike issue was impacting patient care. European hospitals had to close clinics and cancel procedures as a result.
Additionally, New York's 911 and emergency systems were disrupted. The state's chief cyber officer mentioned that repairs were in progress, but there was no estimate for when services would be fully restored. In New Hampshire, emergency 911 services have resumed after a malfunction that allowed operators to see incoming calls but prevented them from answering.
As per ANI, the global outage in Microsoft's cloud services has also caused significant disruptions in flight operations, banking, financial services, and hospitals in India as well. The flight operations were heavily affected, with numerous cancellations and handwritten boarding passes issued. The Civil Aviation Ministry is working to alleviate passenger issues with manual procedures. While the Reserve Bank of India reported only minor disruptions in banking, hospitals also experienced interruptions, switching to manual processes temporarily. Authorities are addressing the situation and ensuring services return to normal as quickly as possible.
