Flights, banks, media outlets disrupted globally
Microsoft users globally, including several in India, reported massive outages in services, with the outage tracking website Downdetector showing users flagging disruptions across various services. A new update from Crowdstrike, a cybersecurity software firm, is being cited as the cause of the outage, which has impacted Windows-based desktops and laptops.
Globally, long queues formed at airports in the US, Europe, and Asia, including India, as airlines lost access to check-in and booking services at a time when many travellers are heading away on summer vacations.
News outlets in Australia — where telecommunications were severely affected — were pushed off air for hours. Hospitals and doctor's offices had problems with their appointment systems, while banks in South Africa and New Zealand reported outages to their payment system or websites and apps.
Some athletes and spectators descending on Paris ahead of the Olympics were delayed as was the arrival of their uniforms and accreditations, but games organisers said disruptions were limited and didn't affect ticketing or the torch relay.
Amid the massive global outage that hit operations of airlines, banks and businesses across the globe, Microsoft on Friday said it is aware of the issue affecting Windows devices due to an update from a third-party software platform. A Microsoft spokesperson said, "We anticipate a resolution is forthcoming.”
“We're aware of an issue affecting Windows devices due to an update from a third-party software platform," the spokesperson said. The outage put operations of businesses and systems across the globe in a state of limbo.
On outage tracking website Downdetector, users reported problems across Microsoft line-up including Azure, and Teams. Microsoft said it is investigating the issue "impacting users ability to access various Microsoft 365 apps and services".
"Our services are still seeing continuous improvements while we continue to take mitigation actions," according to Microsoft 365 Status post on social media.
The glitch caused users to see the Blue Screen of Death error messages, and there are widespread reports of disruptions in international airlines, banks and media outlets.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said MEITY is in touch with Microsoft and its associates regarding the global outage and assured that State run NIC network was not affected. The IT Minister said the reason for this outage has been identified and updates have been released to resolve the issue. CERT too issued a technical advisory.
"It has been reported that Windows hosts related to Crowdstrike agent 'Falcon Sensor' are facing outages and getting crashed due to recent update received in the product. The concerned windows hosts are experiencing a 'Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)' related to Falcon Sensor," CERT-In advisory said.
A widespread Microsoft outage disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world including India. Escalating disruptions continued hours after the technology company said it was gradually fixing an issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services.
The large-scale outage in Microsoft Services impacted IT systems globally leading to disruptions in various sectors.
The RBI said the outage in Microsoft Services impacted 10 banks and NBFCs with minor disruptions which have either been resolved or are being resolved. "Critical systems of most banks are not in cloud and further, only a few banks are using the CrowdStrike tool. Our assessment shows that only 10 banks and NBFCs had minor disruptions which have either been resolved or are being resolved," RBI said in a statement. Overall, it said the Indian financial sector in the Reserve Bank's domain remains insulated from the global outage.
Auto major Maruti Suzuki India said it was partly affected by the global outage of Microsoft systems and production and despatch operations halted briefly. The company, however, said it has been able to resume operations.
The Austin, Texas-based company's Nasdaq-traded shares were down nearly 15 per cent in premarket trading early Friday.
New Zealand's acting prime minister, David Seymour, said on that officials in the country were “moving at pace to understand the potential impacts,” adding that he had no information indicating it was a cybersecurity threat.
In the US, the FAA said the airlines United, American, Delta and Allegiant had all been grounded. Airlines and railways in the UK were also affected, with longer than usual waiting times.
In Germany, Berlin-Brandenburg Airport halted flights for several hours due to difficulties in checking in passengers, while landings at Zurich airport were suspended and flights in Hungary, Italy and Turkey disrupted. The Dutch carrier KLM said it had been “forced to suspend most” of its operations.
Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport warned that the outage was having a “major impact on flights” to and from the busy European hub. The chaotic morning coincided with one of the busiest days of the year for Schiphol.
Widespread problems were reported at Australian airports, where lines grew and some passengers were stranded as online check-in services and self-service booths were disabled — although flights were still operating. In India, Hong Kong and Thailand, many airlines were forced to manually check in passengers. An airline in Kenya was also reporting disruption.
While the outages were being experienced worldwide, Australia appeared to be severely affected by the issue. Hospitals in several countries also reported problems. Some hospitals in northern Germany cancelled all elective surgery scheduled for Friday, but emergency care was unaffected. Israel said its hospitals and post office operations were disrupted.
In South Africa, at least one major bank said it was experiencing nationwide service disruptions as customers reported they were unable to make payments using their bank cards in stores. The New Zealand banks ASB and Kiwibank said their services were down as well. Shipping was disrupted too.
