Global Technology Outage Causes Widespread Disruptions
Businesses and organisations globally have been severely impacted by a large technology outage, which has caused mayhem in airports, airlines, rail companies, government services, banks, stock exchanges, supermarkets, telecoms, health systems, and media outlets.
Causes of the Outage
The outage occurred hours after Microsoft announced it was fixing a problem affecting users’ access to Microsoft 365 apps and services. However, the reason behind the outage was not immediately apparent. Some experts ascribed the disturbance to CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company whose software is employed by various sectors globally to thwart cyberattacks and external intrusions.
Computers running Microsoft Windows appeared to crash as a result of the issue. In a voicemail, CrowdStrike acknowledged receiving complaints of Windows crashes on Microsoft systems.
Impact of the Outage
Transport networks worldwide were among the most severely impacted by the outages, which had far-reaching effects.
Global Disruptions
- Airports: Major US airlines, American, United, and Delta, were grounded on Friday morning due to a communication problem.
- Airlines: The flight information screens at Sydney Airport in Australia went dark. Airports in the Philippines, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and Germany also experienced service interruptions.
- Government Services: Doctors’ booking systems in the UK were out, and the state police in Victoria, Australia, reported that internal systems were affected.
- Financial Institutions: Banks and other financial organisations from Australia to India and South Africa notified customers of service interruptions.
- Media Outlets: Network Ten and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation acknowledged their systems were impacted, and Sky News in the UK apologised for being unable to broadcast live.
- Banks: Commonwealth Bank in Australia reported that some clients were unable to transfer money.
Conclusion
The global technology outage caused significant disruptions to various industries and services. While the root cause of the outage is still unknown, CrowdStrike has been implicated in the problem. The impact of the outage highlights the importance of robust cybersecurity measures and emergency preparedness plans to mitigate the effects of such events.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What caused the technology outage?
- According to some experts, the outage may have been caused by CrowdStrike’s mandatory software update that went wrong.
- Which industries were impacted by the outage?
- The outage affected airports, airlines, government services, banks, stock exchanges, supermarkets, telecoms, health systems, and media outlets.
- What measures can be taken to prevent such outages in the future?
- Robust cybersecurity measures, emergency preparedness plans, and regular system updates can help mitigate the effects of similar outages.