A massive IT outage affecting Microsoft cloud computing services has caused widespread disruptions across the globe early Friday, impacting major airlines, media organizations, businesses, and police forces, according to news reports.
Flights have been grounded in multiple countries as the glitch, which originated with Microsoft’s Azure Service and Microsoft 365 apps, severely affected Windows PCs. American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines issued ground stops due to communication failures, with Delta implementing a “global ground stop,” according to Rep. Eric Swalwell, a member of the House subcommittee on cybersecurity.
The issue has been traced back to a defect in a software update issued by IT security firm Crowdstrike.
Crowdstrike has acknowledged the issue, stating that it has identified, isolated, and deployed a fix. 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. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.”
The firm, which provides cybersecurity services to major corporations, is believed to have issued a software update that triggered the global outages. This incident has led to significant market reactions, with stock prices falling across various sectors.
In Europe, significant flight delays were reported. Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport announced that passenger check-in would be delayed due to a “technical fault.” Aena, the operator of 46 airports in Spain, also cited “an incident in the computer system” as the cause of potential delays. Sydney Airport in Australia, one of the country’s largest, reported similar issues. Paris’s airport authority stated that while its systems were unaffected in advance of next week’s Olympic Games opening ceremony, “this situation has an impact on the operations of airlines at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly airports: delays in check-in, delays and temporary suspension of some flights,” according to the Associated Press.
In the United Kingdom, train operators canceled services due to IT outages, and the London Stock Exchange halted its regulatory news service due to a “3rd party global technical issue.”
In the U.S., Alaska State Troopers reported on Facebook that 911 and non-emergency phone numbers across the state were down “due to a nationwide technology-related outage” shortly before 2:20 a.m. Users also encountered blue screens when starting their computers. Supermarkets and self-service checkouts were disrupted, along with numerous websites.
Microsoft acknowledged the problem with its Azure and Microsoft 365 services early Friday but noted that a “small subset of services is still experiencing residual impact.” Despite the resolution, companies in the U.S. and Europe continue to report difficulties.
The glitch also affected news broadcasters, including NBC News. Sky News, NBC News’ British partner, experienced interruptions in live broadcasting. Sky News Executive Chairman David Rhodes commented on X, “Sky News have not been able to broadcast live TV this morning, currently telling viewers that we apologise for the interruption. Much of our news report is still available online, and we are working hard to restore all services.”
Broadcasters in Australia also faced issues. Michelle McGuinness, Australia’s national cyber security coordinator, confirmed on X that the problem does not appear to be the result of a cyber attack.
The London Stock Exchange Group, affected by the outage, has been unable to provide its usual market data. This has contributed to a noticeable decline in share prices worldwide. Major stock indexes, including France’s CAC 40, Germany’s DAX, Spain’s IBEX, and Switzerland’s SMI, are all down. The British FTSE indexes have fallen by more than 0.5%.
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