Microsoft Outage Wreaks Havoc

Why have so many people been affected?

The IT chaos has been felt around the world.

Cybersecurity experts said that the widespread access CrowdStrike’s Falcon Sensor had to business systems meant an issue with the platform would have widespread effects. Toby Murray, associate professor in the School of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne, said: “CrowdStrike Falcon has been linked to this widespread outage. CrowdStrike is a global cybersecurity and threat intelligence company.

“Falcon is what is known as an Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) platform, which monitors the computers that it is installed on to detect intrusions – hacks – and respond to them. That means that Falcon is a pretty privileged piece of software in that it is able to influence how the computers it is installed on behave.

“For example, if it detects that a computer is infected with malware that is causing the computer to communicate with an attacker, then Falcon could conceivably block that communication from occurring. If Falcon is suffering a malfunction then it could be causing a widespread outage for two reasons – one: Falcon is widely deployed on many computers, and two: because of Falcon’s privileged nature. Falcon is a bit like anti-virus software: it is regularly updated with information about the latest online threats – so it can better detect them.”

Elon Musk weighs in

X boss Elon Musk has weight into the issue as he made a damning statement on social media.

Replying to a Financial Times article on the issue that is affecting services worldwide, he branded it: “Biggest IT fail ever.” He then added: “Microsoft,” with an angry face emoji.

Biggest IT fail ever

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 19, 2024

Passengers given handwritten boarding passes

In a bid to overcome the chaos, some airports are turning to doing things manually.

At one airport in India, passengers are being issued handwritten boarding passes. One person wrote: “The Microsoft / CrowdStrike outage has taken down most airports in India. I got my first hand-written boarding pass today.”

Other people were shocked, with one person replying: “wow back to pen paper.” Another said: “Sometimes, the old-school way is still the best way when technology lets us down.”

The Microsoft / CrowdStrike outage has taken down most airports in India. I got my first hand-written boarding pass today pic.twitter.com/xsdnq1Pgjr

— Akshay Kothari (@akothari) July 19, 2024

Bush Intercontinental Airport brought to a stop

Airports are still being affected by the IT issues, with Bush Intercontinental Airport being brought to “a full ground stop”.

Passengers have been sharing their experiences on social media, with one video showing crowds of people waiting around for any updates. “A full ground stop continues at Bush Intercontinental Airport after a massive Microsoft system outage affects the globe.

“Some airlines are able to check in passengers, but that’s about it. No timeline yet when flights will be able to leave,” one person wrote on X.

A full ground stop continues at Bush Intercontinental Airport after a massive Microsoft system outage affects the globe.

Some airlines are able to check in passengers, but that’s about it. No timeline yet when flights will be able to leave. pic.twitter.com/nB4Jl54TvW

— Shelby Rose FOX 26 (@ShelbyRoseTV) July 19, 2024

Calls for inquiry into IT outage chaos

Goverments around the world are now facing calls to call an inquiry into the global IT outage.

Dr Mark A Gregory, associate professor at RMIT’s School of Engineering, said questions need to be answered about what happened, as well as discussions over what penalties the company should face.

Who is CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz?

George Kurtz is the co-founder and CEO of CrowdStrike, a cloud-based cybersecurity company that went public in 2019.

He co-founded the company with Dmitri Alperovitch in 2011, before Alperovitch later left the firm. Kurtz owns around a 5% stake in the company.

CrowdStrike recorded $2.24billion in revenues in the year through January 31, 2023. Prior to CrowdStrike, Kurtz started security tech firm Foundstone in 1999, which was then acquired by McAfee in 2004.

CrowdStrike shares plunge

CrowdStrike shares have dropped by as much as 20% in premarket trade following the widespread IT outage.

The firm’s stock looked set to open around 17% lower at $286 per share. Microsoft shares have also suffered as issues with their services caused major disruption at airports and emergency services.

Flight cancelations increase

The number of flight cancelations across the globe has steadily increased as the global IT issue continues.

The worldwide total has risen from 1,078 an hour ago to almost 1,400. So far, 1,390have been cancelled, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.

The US has been the worst hit, with 512 cancelations, according to the statistics provided so far. Germany has face 92, India 56 and Italy 45.

‘Defect’ causing outages worldwide

CrowdStrike has confirmed the issues across the globe have been caused by a “defect”.

In a statement, CEO George Kurtz said: “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack.”

Chaos expected to be ‘pretty well back to normal’ by tomorrow

While people are scrambling to get back to normal, one expert believes tomorrow will be the day.

Dr Mark Gregory, a network engineering expert at RMIT University said: “Software like CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform are typically rolled out from a central part of an organisation. They have IT support teams … they should be able to quite quickly apply the patch.”

Speaking to ABC News, he added: “Generally, I would expect this type of problem should be resolved by tomorrow morning. IT teams are going to be working late tonight because they’ll need to apply the patch, then there’ll be a lot of testing.”

Check-in terminals still down in Detroit

The Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is still facing severe issues.

Passengers have taken to standing in long queues in what has been described by one person as a “madhouse” as people try and look for answers. All flights at the airport are currently grounded.

Flights have also been stopped from coming into the airport. The situation has been made worse, with only one line for people to check in bags and terminals being down.

DTW’s McNamara Terminal is a madhouse as Delta is a complete standstill due to worldwide security issues.

All flights are grounded going & coming. It’s chaotic as there’s only 1 line for people to check bags. Nearly all computer check-in terminals are down. @wxyzdetroit pic.twitter.com/TAq5Wr0mSV

— Ryan H. Marshall (@RyanHMarshall) July 19, 2024

New Hampshire 911 services restored

Things seem to be going back to normal, with New Hampshire Emergency Services issuing a new update after being impacted by the global IT outage.

They said in a statement: “Update: #NH911 server system has been fully restored and emergency calls to 911 are being processed normally. The exact cause of this morning’s interruption remains under investigation. Residents and visitors are reminded to only call or text 911 if experiencing an emergency.”

Police and ambulance providers across New Hampshire had been forced to dispatch cars manually. 911 dispatchers were able to take calls but were writing down information on paper to share with first responders.

John F. Kennedy International Airport still impacted

John F. Kennedy International Airport is still facing severe issues due to the CrowdStrike issue.

One picture shared on X showed an information screen at the airport with an error message displayed. Alongside the picture, the user wrote: “Screen at JFK airport at Terminal 4 amid a widespread IT outage. Several flights have been grounded.”

Screen at JFK airport at Terminal 4 amid a widespread IT outage. Several flights have been grounded @fox5ny pic.twitter.com/bg3C2qADjj

— Lissette Nuñez (@LissetteNunezTV) July 19, 2024

Passengers complain about ‘lack of information’

With huge crowds forming in airports and passengers finding out they are now stranded, some have been complaining of a “lack of information”.

One couple, Lance and Penny Spraggons are hoping to fly to Paris to mark their 55th wedding anniversary but are currently stuck in a queue. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Lance said: “The biggest problem is the lack of information. We got here and we didn’t know what was happening until we saw the queues.”

Passengers stranded in Nashville

It seems the IT outage is still causing chaos in airports across America, with passengers sharing their annoyance at being stranded in Nashville.

Videos shared online have shown huge crowds forming at the airport amid canceled flights. One person wrote on X: “Listen to this video… People are frustrated after learning their flight has been canceled at BNA due to IT issues.

“I’ve talked to people who found out they are now stuck in Nashville.”

Listen to this video… People are frustrated after learning their flight has been canceled at BNA due to IT issues.

I’ve talked to people who found out they are now stuck in Nashville @WSMV pic.twitter.com/lFy8CsHN0x

— Joylyn Bukovac (@joylynrbukovac) July 19, 2024

United Airlines ‘resuming some flights’

United Airlines have announced they are “resuming some flights” after being impacted by the global CrowdStrike issue.

In a statement, they said: “A third-party software outage impacted computer systems worldwide, including at United. We are resuming some flights but expect schedule disruptions to continue throughout Friday.

“We have issued a waiver to make it easier for customers to change their travek plans via United.com or the United app.” The announcement comes after American Airlines, United and Delta issued a global ground stop on all flights.

Latest from @united pic.twitter.com/l3KjNPlivX

— David Shepardson (@davidshepardson) July 19, 2024

Delta Air Lines working to resolve issue as quickly as possible

Delta Air Lines has said it is working to resolve the IT issue as quickly as possible after being impacted by the CrowdStrike global outage.

In an update shared by Delta News Hub on X, they said: “Delta has paused its global flight schedule this morning due to a vendor technology issue that is impacting several airlines and businesses around the world. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible to resume operations.”

The company added: “Customers with flights scheduled for Friday should continue checking their flight status via the Fly Delta app and Delta.com. We are also working to issue a travel waiver this morning that will allow customers scheduled to travel Friday, July 19, to manage changes to their itinerary via Delta.com or the Fly Delta app.

“We apologize for the inconvenience as our teams continue work to resolve the issue.”

More than 1,000 flights canceled

The global IT chaos has meant more than 1,000 flights have been canceled around the world.

According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, there have been 1,078 flights canceled around the world so far today. It comes after American Airlines, United and Delta issued a global ground stop on all flights.

American airlines later issued an update on social media. They said they have “safely re-established” services and apologized to customers, many of whom were seen crowding in airports across America.

In a statement shared on X, American Airlines said: “Earlier this morning, a technical issue with a vendor impacted multiple carriers, including American. As of 5:00 a.m. ET, we have been able to safely re-establish our operation. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

Visa ‘unaffected’ by global outage

Banking giant Visa has claimed to be unaffected by the global IT outage.

A spokesperson has said: “There is no indication of any impact on Visa’s ability to process payments from this issue. Our systems are operating normally.”

They continued: “We are aware of reports of people being unable to make payments and are working with our financial institution clients to understand any impact on their services to cardholders and merchants.”

American Airlines ‘safely re-established’

American Airlines has issued a statement after issuing a global ground stop on all flights.

They said they have “safely re-established” services and apologized to customers, many of whom were seen crowding in airports across America. In a statement shared on X, American Airlines said: “Earlier this morning, a technical issue with a vendor impacted multiple carriers, including American. As of 5:00 a.m. ET, we have been able to safely re-establish our operation. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

What is CrowdStrike?

CrowdStrike is a security service designed to stop internet breaches and is suspected to be at the root cause of the IT outage.

It’s believed a rogue update is behind the issue. The company is is a tech giant believed to be worth more than £80 billion.

What the Microsoft statement means

Microsoft attributed the source of the worldwide outage to a “third-party software provider” and a cybersecurity expert has now explained what that means.

Jamieson O’Reilly spoke to ABC News and suggested the company is now saying the outage stemmed from a single incident. Earlier, it seemed the outage could have been caused by two separate issues.

“There was a bit of uncertainty, I guess there still is. We don’t know exactly what’s happened as to whether this was two separate incidents or something related. And so it’s pointing that it was actually related, I believe,” he said.

Troubleshooting fixes

With IT systems around the world affected, many will be hoping to get back to business soon.

Here are some troubleshooting steps: Restart your computer. Often, a simple restart can resolve temporary glitches.

Check for updates: Ensure your operating system and drivers are up to date.

Run a virus scan: Malware can cause system instability.

Macs not affected by IT outage

CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz have reassured users that Macs and Linux hosts are not affected by the global IT outage.

In a statament on social media, he said: “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack.

“The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website.”

CrowdStrike CEO confirms outage was not ‘security incident or cyberattack’

CrowdStrike have now issued a statement on the ongoing IT outage.

CEO George Kurtz said on X: “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack.

“The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website.

“We further recommend organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”

What is the blue screen of death?

The blue screen of death is a critical error screen that pops up on Microsoft Windows and ReactOS operating systems.

The error message, also known as a blue screen error, fatal error or bugcheck, comes up as a sign systems have crashed and can no longer function. There are several potential triggers for a blue screen of death including hardware failures, problems with or without a device driver, or the unexpected termination of a vital process or thread.

The blue screen of death has been popping up for users around the globe (Twitter)

‘Unprecedented’ issue is ‘painstaking to respond to’

The global IT outage has been described as “completely unprecedented historically”, highlighting issues in the IT industry.

ABC technology reporter Ange Lavoipierre said: “We’ve never seen anything on this scale. In fact, never seen anything even close.

“Really, what this does is it highlights the risk of what they call in the industry market consolidation, which is a fancy way of saying — too much of the global economy relying on too few tech companies, just a handful, for critical services. It will be a long recovery, is what I’m hearing, because these things are painstaking to respond to.”

Emergency service lines back in order

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office had been experiencing technical issues, with their phone number down amid the global IT crisis.

Earlier today, they posted on X: “The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office non-emergency phone number, 904-630-0500 is experiencing technical issues. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. 911 lines remain working and are available.”

However, the issue has now been resolved. “All JSO phone lines are back in working order. Thank you for your patience and understanding,” they said in an update.

American Airline cancels ground stop

American Airlines, United and Delta had issued a global ground stop on all flights due to “communication issues”, but that has now been canceled.

Flights in the air were told they would stay in the air, but no American, United or Delta flights were taking off. According to FAA, the ground stop has now been canceled.

According to @FAA ATC advisory, @AmericanAir has canceled their ground stop. @fox5dc #BSOD pic.twitter.com/pUmqRQyICz

— Melanie Alnwick (@fox5melanie) July 19, 2024

Republicans trapped in Milwaukee

RNC delegates have faced issued leaving Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.

The airport confirmed today they are being impacted by the global ground stop. American Airlines, United and Delta earlier asked he Federal Aviation Administration for a worldwide ground stop on all flights.

It comes on one of the busiest days for travel, with RNC delegates leaving via the airport after the convention wrapped up last night.