Global services are gradually recovering after a bug caused IT chaos.
Businesses and services worldwide are slowly recovering after a major IT outage affected computer systems for several hours on Thursday and Friday. Businesses, banks, hospitals, and airlines were among the worst-hit after a faulty software update issued by cyber-security firm CrowdStrike affected Microsoft Windows. CrowdStrike's CEO apologized for the disruption and stated that a fix had been issued, but acknowledged that it could take "some time" before all systems were fully operational.
Although some airline services are beginning to return to normal after thousands of flights were cancelled, operators anticipate that some delays and cancellations will persist through the weekend. Many businesses are now dealing with backlogs and missed orders that may take days to resolve. Health services in Britain, Israel, and Germany also experienced problems, resulting in the cancellation of some operations.
The global chaos has raised concerns about the vulnerability of the world's interconnected technologies and the extent to which a single software glitch could have such a widespread impact. The issue began at 19:00 GMT on Thursday, affecting Windows users running cybersecurity software CrowdStrike Falcon, according to Microsoft. However, the full extent of the problem only became clear by Friday morning.
By Friday evening, the problems were easing in many parts of the globe, with many airports reporting that although there were still issues with check-in and payment systems, most flights were now running. Hong Kong International Airport has resumed normal operations, according to Chinese state media. Meanwhile, JP Morgan Chase, the biggest bank in the US, stated that it is working to restore service to ATM machines.
The website Downdetector, which detects sites experiencing technical issues, showed fewer sites in the UK experiencing problems by the end of the day. CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz mentioned on X that a defect was found "in a single content update for Windows hosts". He expressed deep regret for the impact caused and assured that they are working to ensure every customer is fully recovered.
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