Tech Outage Disrupts Flights and Banks; CrowdStrike Update

A significant global tech outage has caused widespread disruption, impacting major airlines, banking services, and television broadcasts. Both Microsoft and cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike have issued updates to address the problem, but several issues persist. The outage primarily affects computers running the Windows operating system, with many users encountering the notorious “Blue Screen of Death” (BSOD) during startup.

CrowdStrike has identified a problematic software update as the cause of the outages. The company has since deployed a fix, but residual effects continue to impact various services. Microsoft has resolved the underlying issues affecting its 365 apps and services, including Outlook, Teams, and Office. However, some residual impacts are still affecting a subset of services.

CrowdStrike’s President and CEO, George Kurtz, stated that the company is “actively working” to address the issue found in a recent content update on Windows systems. He emphasized that the problem has been “identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed.” Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and noted that it affects systems running CrowdStrike’s Falcon security software.

The U.S. Emergency Alerts System reported that 911 lines in multiple states were down, adding to the chaos. The Federal Aviation Administration revealed that nearly all major U.S. airlines, including Delta, American, and United, have temporarily grounded their flights. International carriers such as Air India, KLM, and airports like Hong Kong International, Berlin Brandenburg, and London Stansted also reported disruptions, leading to manual check-ins and long queues.

The London Stock Exchange group experienced an outage with its workspace platform, preventing it from publishing statements. Banks and payment terminals in Australia were also affected. However, the New York Stock Exchange reported that its systems remained operational despite the widespread disruption. CrowdStrike’s shares plummeted nearly 16.8% to $285.49 in pre-market trading, while Microsoft’s stock fell about 2.3% to $430.28.

As of 9:15 a.m. EDT, FlightAware.com reported 1,281 flight cancellations and 2,905 delays across the U.S. On Friday, an estimated 3.7 million passengers were expected to travel through U.S. airports, with 24,000 domestic and 3,000 international flights scheduled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Ciaran Martin, former director of the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre, commented on the situation: “The damage occurred where CrowdStrike and Windows are both utilized. This affects a substantial number of important companies, highlighting the fragile nature of digital infrastructure.” Martin pointed out that while the update fixing the issue can be deployed relatively quickly, the implementation process might vary among organizations, potentially causing prolonged disruptions, particularly in sectors like aviation.

CrowdStrike describes its Falcon software—blamed for the outage—as a “platform purpose-built to stop breaches… including malware and much more.” The company’s FAQ page highlights Falcon’s unobtrusive nature, noting that it operates without user interface interruptions, pop-ups, or reboots, and performs updates silently and automatically.

Despite CrowdStrike’s fix deployment, it may take time for affected companies to apply the update. Brian Honan, founder of Ireland’s Computer Emergency Response Team, noted that the fixes require “manual intervention to each individually impacted device,” which could lead to a prolonged recovery period from the outage. As the situation unfolds, industry observers will be watching closely to assess the long-term impacts on various sectors and the effectiveness of the ongoing remediation efforts.