A massive IT outage has shut down banks, media outlets, and airlines, disrupting services and rendering airports frozen across the globe.
Initial reports say that this was the result of an antivirus software update at global security firm, Crowdstrike.
Devices have become “bricked,” meaning that they’re not able to function as they should due to corrupted software, reports EuroNews.
On Reddit, community users of the Crowdstrike subreddit have shared an advisory from the company issued only to customers that suggests the cause is its Falcon Sensor, which explains why customers are experiencing BSODs (Blue Screen of Death) and cannot reboot their devices.
It is currently unclear whether this was a “cyber incident” or a mere technical issue.
At any rate, the chaos that ensues upon software malfunction raises questions – and hopefully sets a precedent for a Plan B for potential future events.
Reports of outages have been streaming in from around the globe, with broadcaster Sky News in the UK forced off the air for hours.
The outage has also impacted global customers of Microsoft’s Azure and Office365 services.
At least two low-cost carriers in the US – Frontier and Sun Country Airlines – as well as Quantas in Australia have been forced to ground flights.
In Europe, users of Ryanair’s app and website were unable to check in.
Several European airports have reported IT issues, including Berlin Brandenberg Airport which has told customers to expect delays at check-in. At Edinburgh Airport in the UK, a computer error caused departure boards to freeze.
Amsterdam Schiphol has also reported issues with flights affected, as have airports in New Zealand, Japan, and India.
Zurich Airport, Switzerland’s largest, is currently stopping aircraft from landing.
Even worse, hospitals, pharmacies, and doctors’ surgeries have also been affected, reporting difficulties retrieving medical records, with reports of two hospitals in Luebeck and Kiel cancelling non-urgent surgeries.
In the UK, supermarkets like Aldi, Morrison’s, and Waitrose reported experiencing issues accepting card payments.
