An IT outage has disrupted businesses worldwide, affecting banks, airlines, telecommunications companies, TV and radio broadcasters, and supermarkets, News About Nigeria reports.
The issue, marked by widespread “blue screen of death” errors on Windows workstations, has led to operational interruptions across various sectors.
Users on the cyber security firm Crowdstrike’s subreddit reported issues spanning from India and the United States to New Zealand.
Major U.S. airlines, including Delta, United, and American Airlines, grounded all flights early on Friday due to a communication issue, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The FAA noted, “All flights regardless of destination were grounded due to communication issues.”
The outage has grounded flights, derailed television broadcasts, and impacted telecommunications services globally.
Microsoft reported it was taking “mitigation actions” in response to the service issues, although it was unclear if these actions were directly linked to the global outages.
Australia experienced a large-scale outage affecting its national broadcaster, its largest international airport, and a major telecommunications company.
Sydney Airport reported delays, while Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator confirmed the issue stemmed from a third-party software platform, ruling out hacker involvement.
In Europe, flights were suspended at Berlin Brandenburg Airport due to a technical problem, while all airports in Spain reported disruptions from the IT outage.
The UK’s largest rail operator warned of potential train cancellations due to IT issues, and photos showed long queues forming at Sydney Airport in Australia.
New Zealand also faced disruptions, with banks and the computer network inside the country’s parliament affected.
Major Indian airlines, including IndiGo and Air India, reported booking system disruptions, resulting in travel delays.
Telecommunications firm Telstra suggested the outages were linked to global issues affecting software provided by Microsoft and cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.
University of South Australia cybersecurity researcher Jill Slay stated the global impact of the outages was likely to be “enormous”.
