Microsoft outage disrupts flights, banks, media outlets globally
A global Microsoft outage has disrupted services in many countries, including India. Outage tracking website down detector is reporting disruptions in various services. A new Crowd Strike (cyber security software firm) update is being cited as the cause of the outage, which has affected Windows-based desktops and laptops. Long queues were seen at airports globally in the US, Europe and Asia, including India, as airlines lost access to check-in and booking services at a time when many passengers are heading to summer vacations. News outlets in Australia – where telecommunications were severely affected – were unable to broadcast for hours. Hospitals and doctors’ offices were unable to access their appointment systems.
There were problems, while banks in South Africa and New Zealand reported disruptions in their payment systems or websites and apps. ‘Meti is in touch with Microsoft and its partners regarding the global outage’: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Some athletes and spectators visiting Paris ahead of the Olympics faced delays in the arrival of their uniforms and accreditations, but Games organizers said disruptions were limited and did not affect ticketing or the torch relay. Amid a massive global outage that has hit operations of airlines, banks and businesses worldwide, Microsoft on Friday said it is aware of a problem affecting Windows devices caused by an update from a third-party software platform. “We expect a solution is forthcoming,” a Microsoft spokesperson said. “We are aware of a problem affecting Windows devices caused by an update from a third-party software platform,” the spokesperson said. The outage put the operations of businesses and systems around the world in limbo. Users on outage tracking website Downdetector reported problems across the line up. Microsoft said it is investigating the issue affecting users’ ability to access various Microsoft 365 apps and services. According to a Microsoft 365 status post on social media, our services are still experiencing continuous improvement while we continue to take mitigation actions. The glitch caused users to see Blue Screen of Death error messages and there are widespread reports of disruptions to international airlines, banks and media outlets. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Indian government is in touch with Microsoft regarding the global outage and assured that the state-run NIC network will not be affected. The IT minister said the cause of this outage has been identified and updates have been released to address the issue. CERT also issued a technical advisory. It is reported that CrowdStrike agents are experiencing outages and crashing due to recent updates received in the Windows host product related to the Falcon sensor. The respective Windows hosts are experiencing Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) related to Falcon. The widespread Microsoft outage disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world, including India. The technology company said it was gradually fixing the issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services, hours after the disruption continued to grow. The massive outage in Microsoft services affected IT systems globally, causing disruptions in various sectors. The RBI said that the disruption in Microsoft services caused minor disruptions to 10 banks and NBFCs, which have either been resolved or are being resolved. Most banks’ critical systems are not in the cloud and in addition, only a few banks are using Crowd Strike tools. Our assessment shows that only 10 banks and NBFCs had minor disruptions that have either been resolved or are being resolved, the RBI said in a statement. Overall, the statement said that the Indian financial sector in the Reserve Bank’s area is untouched by the global outage. Auto major Maruti Suzuki India said it was partially affected by the global outage of Microsoft systems and production and dispatch operations came to a halt for some time. However, the company said it was able to resume operations. Nasdaq-traded shares of the Austin, Texas-based company were down nearly 15 per cent in premarket trading early Friday. New Zealand’s acting Prime Minister, David Seymour, said authorities in the country were moving quickly to understand the potential impacts. He said he had no information that indicated it was a cyber security threat. In the US, the FAA said United, American, Delta and Allegiant airlines have all been grounded. Airlines and railways in the UK were also affected with waiting times increasing longer than usual. In Germany, Berlin-Danburg Airport halted flights for several hours due to difficulties in checking passengers, while landings were suspended at Zurich Airport and flights to Hungary, Italy and Turkey were disrupted. Dutch carrier KLM said it has been forced to suspend most of its operations.