Microsoft has experienced a global outage that had far-reaching implications, triggering a cascade of disruptions that have severely impacted air travel worldwide.
This outage has not only grounded flights and disrupted schedules but also inconvenienced countless travelers who rely on digital check-ins and electronic boarding passes.
The outage has also caused widespread disruptions across various other sectors, including the stock market, banking operations, healthcare, retailers among others.
Millions of Windows users globally are encountering the Blue Screen of Death, leading to unexpected computer shutdowns or restarts. In some instances, computers are repeatedly restarting, causing users to lose unsaved data and valuable time.
Blue screen occurs when a critical problem forces Windows to shut down or restart unexpectedly.
This technical glitch is particularly frustrating for businesses and individuals who depend on their computers for daily operations. It is not only hindering productivity but also causing significant stress as users scramble to recover lost information and resume their work.
The Microsoft outage has caused the cancelation of nearly 1,400 flights.
What caused such a widespread outage?
On Thursday, some Microsoft clients in the central United States, including some airlines, were affected by an outage on its cloud service system, Azure.
“We have been made aware of an issue impacting Virtual Machines running Windows Client and Windows Server, running the CrowdStrike Falcon agent, which may encounter a bug check (BSOD) and get stuck in a restarting state. We approximate impact started around 19:00 UTC on the 18th of July,” Azure status page reads.
Separately, on Friday many Windows devices experienced problems involving CrowdStrike.
The outage was caused by a flawed software update by CrowdStrike called Falcon Sensor.
“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack.”
Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz said the issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.
“We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. We further recommend organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers,” Crowdstrike announced.”
An updated fix of the software has been sent to computers.
Airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Allegiant, Sun Country Airlines, Ryan Air, Air France, Cathay Pacific, Eurowings, KLM, Scandinavian Airlines, and Vueling have grounded flights due to the mass outage.