Technology outage disrupts global flights, banks, media and companies

Technology outage. Photo by youtube.com & finance.yahoo.com

NEWNEY -- On Friday, a software update went wrong wreaking chaos all across the world on Friday, grounding planes, taking down several financial institutions and media sites, and upsetting hospitals, small businesses, and government agencies. The broad influence underlined the fragility of a society mostly dependent on a small number of suppliers for necessary computer capabilities. The problem started with an upgrade from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, which only affected customers using Microsoft Windows, the most often used operating system for personal computers. CrowdStrike apologised and promised a fix after confirming it was not the result of hacking or a cyberattack.

As businesses and governments all across struggled to deal with the fallout, their computer displays blinking with error warnings caused hours of outage. The CEO of CrowdStrike said certain systems will need time-consuming manual fixes. Tens of thousands of flights were delayed and thousands of others were canceled, creating lines at airports all throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. During the busiest travel time of the year, airlines lost their capacity to handle bookings and check-ins. Although the problem's domino effect caused continuous cancellements and delays, by late afternoon Eastern time the situation seemed to have calmed.

Early Friday the news was not carried by some local TV stations in the United States; certain state and local governments reported problems at several departments, including courts, motor vehicle agency, unemployment bureaus, emergency contact centers, and other offices. Still, many systems started to revert to normal as the day wore on. Problems with hospital appointment systems caused delays in patient visits and cancelation of several operations. In other regions, people experienced little inconveniences like trouble ordering ahead at Starbucks, which caused huge lines at some of the coffee shop's outlets. Right before midnight, the "recovery" displays on many big LED billboards in Times Square began to glow. A few were remained dark Friday afternoon.

Summary News: Technology outage

A software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike grounded flights, closed media outlets and financial institutions, affected hospitals, small companies, and government organizations worldwide. The issue afflicted consumers using Microsoft Windows, the most often used operating system for personal computers. Governments and companies had to cope with the aftermath as computer screens flashing with error alerts caused hours of downtime. During the busiest travel season of year, airlines lost capacity to manage reservations and check-ins. Many systems returned to normal even though the situation seemed to be cooling down Eastern time late afternoon.

News URL: https://www.yom9.com/2024/07/technology-outage-disrupts-global.html

Source: A faulty software update causes havoc worldwide for airlines, hospitals and governments