Global Microsoft 365 Outages Cause Disruptions in Banks, Airlines, and Health Systems
A widespread global outage of Microsoft 365 apps caused havoc across industries such as banks, airlines, television networks, and health systems on Friday. The technical problem originated from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which identified an issue in its software that affected Microsoft services. This led to thousands of canceled flights and train services globally, including over 1,000 in the U.S., and caused disruptions in various public and retail services.
CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz clarified that the problem was not a cyberattack but a defect found in a content update for Windows hosts. While he assured that a fix had been deployed, the residual impact continued to affect Microsoft 365 apps and services. Despite efforts to mitigate the issue, the disruptions persisted, affecting a wide range of businesses and services.
The global outage impacted Department of Homeland Security systems, leading to flight cancellations and delays in the U.S. and around the world. Airlines like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Lufthansa, KLM, and SAS Airlines reported disruptions in their operations. Hospitals in Germany and doctors in the U.K. faced challenges accessing online systems, while pharmacies experienced disruptions in medicine deliveries.
The London Stock Exchange encountered issues with its regulatory news service, and the New York Stock Exchange assured that trading remained operational. Furthermore, delivery companies like FedEx activated contingency plans to address potential delays in packages due to the outages.
While efforts were made to fix the problem, challenges remained in restoring systems to normal functioning, especially with Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) products. CrowdStrike’s Kurtz mentioned that while systems were beginning to recover, some may require manual intervention, suggesting a lengthy process ahead. Companies and organizations worldwide were advised to work with their technology departments to resolve the disruptions and restore operations.
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