Global cyber outage disrupts multiple industries
A widespread cyber outage has struck various sectors globally, causing significant disruptions to airlines, media companies, banks, and telecommunications firms. The incident has highlighted the interconnectedness of global digital infrastructure and the far-reaching consequences of technical failures.
Airline industry ground to a halt
Major US airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and Allegiant Air, issued ground stops citing communications issues. This occurred shortly after Microsoft announced it had resolved a cloud services outage that had impacted several low-cost carriers. However, it remains unclear whether the airline disruptions were directly related to the Microsoft outage.
Australian businesses and services affected
In Australia, the outage impacted media outlets, banks, and telecommunications companies. The Australian government linked these issues to a problem at global cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike. Crowdstrike acknowledged reports of crashes related to its Falcon sensor on Microsoft’s Windows operating system but did not specifically mention Australia.
Ripple effects across Europe
The outage’s impact extended to Europe, with Spain reporting a “computer incident” affecting all its airports. Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers, warned passengers of potential disruptions across its entire network, though it did not specify the nature of these disruptions.
Ongoing investigations and unclear connections
As the situation unfolds, it remains uncertain whether all reported outages are linked to the Crowdstrike issues or if other factors are at play. AWS, a major cloud service provider, announced it was investigating connectivity issues with Windows services. Despite the widespread impact, Australian authorities stated there was no information suggesting the outage was a cyber security incident.
