A global IT outage has swept across key services around the world, disrupting public transport links, delaying international flights and restricting the operations of healthcare facilities and businesses.
Here’s what you need to know:
What’s behind the disconnect? The outage appears to be at least partly caused by a software update Crowdstrike released for Microsoft Windows systems. The US cybersecurity firm told customers early Friday that engineers were addressing the issue, according to an advisory seen by CNN. The issue concerns Falcon, a system designed to protect files stored in the cloud.
How long will the outage last? Microsoft said the “root cause” of the outage has been “fixed,” adding that residual impact is still affecting some services. “We are implementing additional mitigation to provide relief,” the tech company said in a post on X. Some services have been restored, but others are still experiencing outages.
Who is affected? Global banks, medical services and critical infrastructure have been affected by the outage. Medical providers Including the UK’s National Health Service and one of Europe’s largest health facilities in northern Germany, have been choked by IT delays. Meanwhile, Banks, Broadcast outlets And Supermarkets In Australia, New Zealand and the UK, the service was affected, including ABC News and Sky News.
Most affected airlines: Scenes of frustrated travelers clogged the runways of major airports on Friday as U.S. airlines and other international carriers in Europe, Asia and the Middle East were forced to delay and cancel flights. There are about 110,000 scheduled commercial flights worldwide today, according to preliminary data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, shared with CNN. As of 6 a.m. ET, there were 1,390 canceled flights globally. That number is growing.
International response: The White House said it was “looking into” the disruption caused by the internet outage Friday morning. “We are aware of the incident and are looking into the issue and the implications,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson told CNN. Meanwhile, the British government held an emergency meeting to discuss the outage, according to British news agency PA Media.
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