Early Friday, a widespread outage of Microsoft 365 apps affected banks, airlines, television networks, and health systems globally. The issue was linked to a glitch in CrowdStrike’s software, disrupting thousands of flights and many other services.
What Caused the Global Microsoft Outages?
CrowdStrike, a global cybersecurity firm, identified a technical problem in its software that caused the outages. This software, which provides antivirus protection for Microsoft’s Windows devices, experienced an update that disrupted numerous IT systems globally.
“Earlier today, a CrowdStrike update was responsible for bringing down a number of IT systems globally,” Microsoft stated to CBS News. By Friday evening, Microsoft announced on social media that they had completed mitigation actions and that all previously impacted Microsoft 365 apps and services had recovered. They also mentioned entering a monitoring period to ensure the issue was fully resolved.
CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz confirmed that the issue had been identified, isolated, and a solution was being implemented, emphasizing that it was not a security incident or cyberattack.
What Has Been Affected by the Microsoft Outages?
The impact was extensive:
- Airlines: Over 3,000 flights in the U.S. were canceled, with 11,400 others delayed. Globally, more than 42,000 flights were delayed. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines resumed some flights later in the day.
- Healthcare: Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston canceled non-urgent surgeries and medical visits. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center postponed procedures requiring anesthesia. Emory Healthcare delayed certain surgeries, and Seattle Children’s Hospital closed its outpatient clinic.
- Government: The Department of Health and Human Services worked to assess the impact, and the Department of Homeland Security reported disruptions but confirmed it was not a cyberattack. Portland, Oregon, issued an Emergency Declaration for city systems, while New York City’s prior drills helped mitigate the impact.
- International Airports: Disruptions were reported by Lufthansa, KLM, SAS Airlines, and airports in Switzerland, India, and Germany. Hospitals in Germany canceled elective surgeries, and U.K. doctors faced issues accessing online booking systems.
- Other Sectors: The London Stock Exchange experienced disruptions to its regulatory news service, but trading was unaffected. Starbucks’ mobile ordering features were down, and FedEx warned of potential package delays due to the outages.
When Will the Microsoft Outages Be Fixed?
CrowdStrike’s fix is being implemented, but the recovery process may take time due to the nature of the problem. Omer Grossman, Chief Information Officer at CyberArk, explained that the Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) products running on individual client computers require manual updates, a process expected to take days.
In an interview with CNBC, Kurtz noted that many affected systems were beginning to recover, with some fixes as straightforward as rebooting computers or servers. However, he acknowledged that some systems might not fully recover immediately, and CrowdStrike is working individually with each affected customer to restore operations.
The global impact of this outage highlights the interconnected nature of modern IT systems and the potential widespread effects of software issues. Businesses and organizations will likely rely on their technology departments to fully recover from this incident.
