A mass global IT outage has affected businesses including banks, airlines, telecommunications companies, TV and radio broadcasters, and supermarkets in certain countries.
According to reports, the outage has affected airports in Germany, Spain and the U.S.
America’s major airlines including American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines have been grounded.
In the UK, Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Great Northern – all four of Govia Thameslink Railway’s brands have reported that services were experiencing widespread IT issues.
“We are unable to access driver diagrams at certain locations, leading to potential short-notice cancellations, particularly on the Thameslink and Great Northern networks,” the company said.
“Additionally, other key systems, including our real-time customer information platforms, are also affected.”
Sky News reported that the outage might be affecting Windows PCs globally, including its studios in the UK, which was unable to broadcast live TV on Friday, July 19, morning.
The outage has also been reported in India, the United States and New Zealand.
CrowdStrike Statement
Other reports indicate that the outage is related to US-based cybersecurity provider CrowdStrike.
Its ‘Falcon sensor’ is installed on many business computers to gather security data.
In a statement, CrowdStrike said it is aware of reports of crashes on Windows hosts related to the Falcon sensor.
The Company said the symptoms include hosts experiencing a bugcheck or blue screen error related to the Falcon sensor.
“Our engineering teams are actively working to resolve this issue and there is no need to open a support ticket. “Status updates will be posted below [on the website] as we have more information to share, including when the issue is resolved,” the Company said.
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Mass IT Outage in Australia
Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator also stated that the country has been hit by a major IT outage disrupting similar businesses.
In a statement, the coordinator said it was aware of a “large-scale technical outage” affecting a number of companies and services across the country.
“Our current information is this outage relates to a technical issue with a third-party software platform employed by affected companies,” the agency said.
At Sydney Airport, customers have been told they can’t check in their bags with delays experienced in both domestic and international terminals.
An airport spokesperson announced that a global technical outage has impacted some airline operations and terminal services.
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“Flights are currently arriving and departing however there may be some delays throughout the evening. We have activated our contingency plans with our airline partners and deployed additional staff to our terminals to assist passengers,” said the spokesperson.
“There is no information to suggest it is a cyber security incident. We continue to engage across key stakeholders.”
Melbourne Airport said that check-in procedures for some airlines had been affected.
“Passengers flying with these airlines this afternoon are advised to allow a little extra time to check-in. Please check with your airline for flight updates,” it said in a post on X.
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