Microsoft IT outage live: Travellers still stranded as experts warn problem is likely to happen again
It could take weeks for global tech infrastructure to fully recover, experts warn
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CrowdStrike said a significant number of the over 8.5 million devices affected from Friday’s botched software update are back online.
The outage led to over 1,500 cancelled flights in the US and dozens more across the UK for the third day in a row, leaving passengers stranded across airports.
Hospitals, GPs, pharmacies, banks, supermarkets and millions of businesses have also been impacted.
CrowdStrike said the outage was caused by a defect in an update to its “Falcon” cybersecurity defence software for Windows hosts.
Over the weekend, Microsoft released a recovery tool to help repair Windows machines hit by the glitch that affected over 8.5 million devices.
However, experts warned that it could take weeks for global tech infrastructure to fully recover.
“Even if we could guarantee it could be fully fixed on Monday GPs would still need time to catch up from lost work over the weekend, and NHSE should make clear to patients that normal service cannot be resumed immediately,” David Wrigley, deputy chair of GPC England at the BMA, said.
8.5 million computers running Windows affected by faulty update from CrowdStrike
Tui cancels flights and holidays as passengers wait at departure gates
NHS warns of continued disruption to GP services next week from global IT outage
National Lottery app and website goes down across UK amid global IT outage
Air passenger compensation: What are your rights when a flight goes wrong?
IT outage impacts two-thirds of GP practices in Northern Ireland
IT outage impacts two-thirds of GP practices in Northern Ireland
The outage has hit industries across the world.
Global IT outage: What happened and when will it be fixed?
Global IT outage: What happened and when will it be fixed?
Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike confirmed an update had affected customers using Microsoft Windows around the world
Millions could face delay in getting paid as global IT outage hits payroll software
Workers globally may not be paid on time due to a major IT outage causing chaos around the world, payroll businesses have warned.
The IT outage has resulted in queues and delays at airports, disruption to GP services and payment failures in some shops.
Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike is “actively working” to fix a “defect” in an update for Microsoft Windows users which sparked the outage.
Millions could face delay in getting paid as global IT outage hits payroll software
The IT outage has resulted in queues and delays at airports, disruption to GP services and payment failures in some shops
Passenger receives handwritten boarding pass during Microsoft outage
Passenger receives handwritten boarding pass during Microsoft outage
‘Sometimes, the old-school way is still the best way when technology lets us down’
Bombay Bicycle Club reschedule festival date they missed due to global IT outage
Indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club have announced the rescheduled date of a music festival performance they missed due to the global IT outage.
The British group, comprised of Jack Steadman, Jamie MacColl, Suren de Saram and Ed Nash, were due to play Poolbar Festival in the Austrian town of Feldkirch on Friday but missed it due to a cancelled flight.
In a post to Instagram on Friday evening they said: “Unfortunately our flights to get to tonight’s Poolbar Festival show were cancelled because of the IT outage.
Bombay Bicycle Club reschedule festival date they missed due to global IT outage
A flawed update rolled out by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike knocked many offline around the world on Friday.
Who is CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz?
Who is CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz?
A worldwide tech glitch was caused by a software update sent out by cyber security company CrowdStrike
NHS warns of ‘continued disruption’ into next week
NHS England has warned of “continued disruption” to GP services into next week from the global IT outage.
A flawed update rolled out by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike knocked many offline around the world on Friday, causing flight and train cancellations and crippling some healthcare systems.
A fix was deployed for a bug in the update, which affected Microsoft Windows PCs, on Friday, as CrowdStrike’s chief executive said it would take “some time” for systems to be fully restored.
Across England, GP surgeries reported being unable to book appointments or access patient records on Friday as their EMIS appointment and patient record system went down.
An NHS spokesperson said: “As practices recover from the loss of IT systems on Friday, there may be some continued disruption, particularly to GP services, in some areas into next week as practices work to rebook appointments.
“The advice for Monday remains that patients should attend appointments as normal unless told otherwise.”
Doctor issues advice to patients waiting for prescriptions amid global IT outage
Doctor issues advice to patients waiting for prescriptions amid global IT outage
A doctor has issued advice to patients waiting for prescriptions amid the global IT outage. According to the National Pharmacy Association, one-third of deliveries in pharmacies across England were hit on Friday after a major wholesaler declared it had been affected by the issues. Speaking to Sky News on Saturday (20 July), Doctor Saira Ghafur said: “The advice being given to patients is to go and see their pharmacies who will be able to dispense three days worth of medication to make sure this isn’t an issue.”
Up to 8.5million Windows devices affected by IT glitch
The global IT outage caused by CrowdStrike’s update affected 8.5 million Windows devices, Microsoft has said.
Estimating the impact of the update, Microsoft said it had affected less than 1 per cent of Windows machines.
“While the percentage was small, the broad economic and societal impacts reflect the use of CrowdStrike by enterprises that run many critical services,” the firm said in a statement.
“This incident demonstrates the interconnected nature of our broad ecosystem - global cloud providers, software platforms, security vendors and other software vendors, and customers.
“It’s also a reminder of how important it is for all of us across the tech ecosystem to prioritise operating with safe deployment and disaster.”
What is Crowdstrike? The $80bn company linked to largest IT outage in history
Before this week, CrowdStrike was known for finding the cause of problems, rather than causing them. The company – headquartered in Austin, Texas, but with a reach across the world – was most famous for having investigated large-scale hacks, such as those on Sony Pictures and breaches at the Democratic National Committee that it blamed on Russian spies.
It has built a huge business out of that and other work. It was worth $80bn (£62bn) when trading on the Nasdaq closed on Thursday – though its share price has since fallen by 20 per cent. It reported revenues of $3bn in the last year.
CrowdStrike was founded in 2011 – by a team that included George Kurtz, the CEO that has been representing the company as it recovers from the problems – and immediately caught the interest of investors. The year after, it launched with a $26m investment round, and it has gathered more investment since.
Technology editor Andrew Griffin reports:
What is Crowdstrike? The $80bn company linked to ‘largest IT outage in history’
A software update designed to protect computers ended up disabling them
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