Computer - Global IT disruption - Issues in Rhineland-Palatinate
A global IT disruption has caused issues in Rhineland-Palatinate in some areas. At the Hunsruck-Airport Hahn, there were delays in the afternoon. Business manager Rüdiger Franke confirmed that arriving planes were expected to land delayed and therefore take off later. "This is already the case for the first flights." It is recommended to check the status of the flight beforehand on the website.
Problems at Hahn Airport and Tegut
The systems of the airport itself are currently not affected by the disruption, but those of various airlines such as Ryanair, Wizzair and FlyOne at the check-in counters are, according to Franke. "The airlines reacted quickly, and check-in processes at Hahn Airport are being carried out manually." At Saarbrücken Airport, there were no known problems before midday.
Tegut, based in St. Wendel, reported that their cash register systems were affected. A spokesperson said that the problems had occurred in the morning when the cash registers were being turned on. Tegut reportedly has over 300 markets in Hesse, Bavaria, Thuringia, as well as in Göttingen, Mainz, Stuttgart and Munich**. According to their website, some markets in Mainz were already open again - there were three open in the afternoon.
Globus, based in Sankt Wendel, reported disruptions to cash register operations. The markets were, however, still open.
Problems in Pharmacies
Overall, the problems in Rhineland-Palatinate seemed to be contained. "We currently see no effects on BASF," a spokesperson said. And from the north, it was reported: "There are no restrictions at the Bundeswehr Central Hospital Koblenz due to the computer problem." The University Hospital Mainz, the Westpfalz Clinic, and the Ludwigshafen Clinic also reported no initial disruptions.
However, many pharmacies reported issues. "In particular, the processing of e-prescriptions can sometimes cause problems," the Rhinland-Palatinate Pharmacists' Association said. The pharmaceutical supply to the population by owner-operated pharmacies is, however, very resilient. Pharmacies have different software products, and it is very rare for all systems to fail at the same time.
The Koblenz-based Compugroup, which specializes in software for doctors' practices and hospitals, reported that CGM Lauer, the software for pharmacies, was affected. "We have informed our pharmacy customers about a workaround," they said. Other systems from Compugroup Medical, such as those for doctors or hospitals, were reportedly not affected.
The state administration had initially received no reports of failures. "We are closely monitoring the situation," said the spokesperson for the Digitalization Ministry, Esther Höfler.
The computer problems caused widespread disruptions worldwide. In Germany, the Berlin Airport had to temporarily halt operations at the start of the holidays. Media reports also indicated disruptions to banking and hospital operations in other countries.
Possible error rectified
Trigger, according to Crowdstrike's statements, was an update. In the afternoon, the IT security firm announced that they had fixed the issue. Customers were then referred to a download portal for a new update by Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz on platform X. The issue was discovered and fixed in a Windows-based Crowdstrike software update, Kurtz wrote. The problem was identified and resolved. It was neither a cyberattack nor a security incident.
- Passengers flying with Wizz Air from Frankfurt-Hahn Airport might experience delays due to the global IT disruption affecting air traffic.
- Despite the disruption, Bavaria's popular tourist destination, Göttingen, reported no known issues at its local airport.
- The retail giant Tegut, with branches in Mainz, reported issues with their cash register systems due to the disruption, affecting markets in Hesse, Bavaria, Thuringia, and other cities.
- The pharmacy association in Rhineland-Palatinate reported that e-prescription processing can sometimes cause problems, but the supply of medicines by owner-operated pharmacies remains resilient.
- The hospital in Koblenz, as well as the University Hospital Mainz and other clinics in the Rhineland-Palatinate region, reported no initial disruptions due to the IT problem.
- Compugroup, a software provider for doctors' practices and hospitals, confirmed that their pharmacy software, CGM Lauer, was affected by the disruption, but their other systems remained unaffected.
- The IT security firm Crowdstrike identified and fixed the issue, which was triggered by an update, and provided a new update for their Windows-based software to customers.
- The disruption caused retail and hospital operations to be affected not only in Germany but also worldwide, with media reports indicating issues in banking and other sectors.
- The state administration in Hesse was closely monitoring the situation, ensuring that any potential issues related to the disruption are promptly addressed.
