Global chaos as CrowdStrike fixes world’s biggest IT outage

Cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike has issued a fix for a software glitch that caused one of the most massive global IT outages ever recorded, disrupting industries from airlines and banking to healthcare.

CrowdStrike’s CEO George Kurtz confirmed yesterday that the issue had been identified and isolated, but affected Windows computers would need manual reboots to regain functionality.

While Microsoft announced that it had resolved the root cause of the outage affecting its 365 apps, including Teams and OneDrive, lingering impacts continued to affect some services.

“This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed.”

However, CrowdStrike’s technical support advised that rebooting the affected systems might require up to 15 attempts.

The chaos hit hard globally, with Thailand’s major airports, Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, suffering severe disruptions. Check-in systems failed, forcing staff to revert to manual processes, resulting in long queues and frustrated passengers. Suvarnabhumi airport acknowledged the disruption on Facebook, linking it to a global IT issue affecting airlines worldwide. Similarly, Thai AirAsia reported that the failure of Microsoft’s Azure cloud system had crippled its ground service operations, prompting Airports of Thailand to advise passengers to allow an additional four hours for check-in.

Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital (SiPH) in Thailand also reported IT delays, notifying patients with appointments yesterday, July 19, that hospital staff would reach out to reschedule. Additionally, at least one securities brokerage in Bangkok experienced issues, according to local media.

The root of the outage was traced to a defect in a single content update for Microsoft Windows hosts, Kurtz revealed, noting that Mac and Linux systems remained unaffected. The resulting disruption wreaked havoc across various sectors, grounding flights of major airlines like American, United, and Delta in the United States, taking some broadcasters off-air, and impacting banking and healthcare systems worldwide.

“We’re deeply sorry for the impact caused to customers, travellers, and anyone affected, including our company. Many customers are rebooting their systems, and they are becoming operational, but some may take time to recover fully.”

CrowdStrike’s Falcon Sensor software was identified as the culprit, causing Microsoft Windows to crash and display the notorious Blue Screen of Death, according to a company alert reviewed by Reuters, reported Bangkok Post.

ORIGINAL STORY: Global cyber outage grounds flights and halts news broadcasts

CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity giant serving a number of global industries, suffered a significant outage this morning, causing disruptions across the globe. This unforeseen technical glitch halted news broadcasts and grounded flights, creating chaos for travellers and media outlets alike. There were no reports of any Thai airports affected.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States reported that three major airlines (American, United, and Delta) were forced to ground all flights. This sudden standstill left thousands of passengers stranded and airports in disarray.

In Australia, the New South Wales Police Force took to social media to acknowledge the widespread system outage. Sydney Airport, one of the country’s largest and busiest transportation hubs, faced significant issues just as the weekend rush was beginning.

“A global technical outage has impacted some plane operations and terminal services. Flights are currently arriving and departing, however, there may be some delays throughout the evening.”

The airport activated its contingency plan, deploying additional staff to manage the chaos and assist passengers.

In a statement to the BBC, United Airlines, the world’s fifth biggest carrier by passenger numbers, reported that while the airline worked to restore computer systems, it is holding all aircraft at their departure airports. Flights already airborne are continuing to their destinations.

According to the BBC, Poland’s largest container terminal, the Baltic Hub in Gdansk, is grappling with a global Microsoft operating system outage, disrupting operations. The hub, operational since 2007 and capable of handling up to 2.9 million containers annually, has requested companies refrain from sending containers to the port.

German airline Lufthansa and Scandinavian-based SAS report disruptions. Lufthansa’s booking retrieval is currently limited, but a solution is in progress. SAS’s booking engine is affected by technical issues. Prague Airport faces check-in system outages, causing delays. Eurowings’ online check-in is down, and Zurich Airport has halted landings. Belfast International Airport is impacted but operational.

Despite the widespread impact, CrowdStrike representatives remained silent, offering no comment on the situation. This outage follows closely on the heels of Frontier Airlines’ brief grounding of flights yesterday evening due to a major outage in Microsoft networks. The disruption affected several low-cost carriers, including Allegiant Air and Sun Country Airlines.

Microsoft revealed that the issue had impacted multiple systems for customers in the central United States, adding to the growing concerns about the vulnerability of digital infrastructure in the aviation industry, reported Bangkok Post.