A routine cybersecurity software update on Friday, July 19, caused a massive tech outage impacting global businesses, including airports, banks, retail stores, and law enforcement agencies.
CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm based in Austin, Texas, widely used by businesses and government agencies running on Microsoft systems, stated that a defect in one of its updates for Windows computers caused the issue. The result was one of the largest global IT outages in history.
What Has Been Affected?
The outage affected almost every major business sector in some way.
Airports and flights worldwide experienced severe delays and cancellations as crucial computer systems were disrupted by the tech outage. Major U.S. airlines such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines issued ground stops due to communication problems. Long lines formed at airports, with staff resorting to manual check-ins.
Banks were also affected, leaving some customers unable to access their funds. Reports of login issues emerged from major retail banks in Australia, New Zealand, and other regions. The London Stock Exchange experienced service disruptions, although trading continued.
In retail, McDonald’s closed some stores in Japan due to a “cash register malfunction,” while British grocery chain Waitrose put up handwritten signs indicating they were only accepting cash.
Baltic Hub, a global shipping terminal in Poland, reported issues related to the tech outage. The Alaska State Troopers agency warned of temporary 911 disruptions. The British broadcaster Sky News, owned by NBC Universal’s parent company Comcast, was briefly knocked off the air.
CrowdStrike identified the problem and issued a fix early Friday. Affected computers needed to download another update, which some did automatically.
