It is known that there is a worldwide IT disruption
Worldwide, computers suddenly display a blue screen in the morning. The result: airports cannot process passengers, TV broadcasters have to send a static image. Likely cause: a faulty update. Here's an overview of what is known about the incident.
What is affected?
The problems were most noticeable in the aviation sector. The airport in Berlin had to suspend operations at the start of the holiday season. The same went for Hamburg. In the USA, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded flights from airlines such as United, American, and Delta. In northern Germany, several clinics canceled scheduled surgeries. Airports in India and Spain were also affected.
In the UK, a system for booking doctor's appointments in the National Health Service (NHS) was disabled. The British broadcaster Sky News and the London Stock Exchange also faced issues. In the US state of Alaska, emergency services were unreachable for a while.
Where was it the worst?
In Australia. There, besides the aviation sector, banks, train services, supermarket chains, gas stations, and television broadcasters were affected. They could not or only offer their services limitedly. The government had to call an emergency meeting.
Was it a cyberattack?
According to initial findings, there are no indications of this.
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How did it all happen?
In the initial hours, IT experts were only gradually making their way towards the cause of the problem. By now, the situation is clearer: A glitch in an update from IT security firm Crowdstrike likely disrupted the software at Microsoft and other companies. Crowdstrike CEO George Kurtz later announced a new update was on its way.
How long will it last?
There were initial signs of normalization after a few hours.
What does Crowdstrike actually do?
The American company plays a central role in protecting against IT threats and secures, among other things, websites. One of its products, named Falcon, is used to detect malicious activities in network traffic. According to media reports, a faulty Falcon update may have caused the disruptions.
What is the financial damage from the disruptions?
This could take weeks or months to fully assess. In addition to immediate costs, potential future claims from affected parties could also play a role. The Crowdstrike stock price dropped by over 20% in pre-market trading due to the issues.
How can it happen that problems at a provider affect so many on a broad front?
One reason is the concentration in the tech industry. A service provider often serves thousands of companies. Problems at them then affect a wide audience. In the past, errors from IT security firms have even taken down dozens of websites at once.
In Australia, the impact of the IT-related issues was widespread, affecting banks, train services, supermarket chains, gas stations, and television broadcasters, causing limited operations or full suspensions. Due to these disruptions, the Australian government had to convene an emergency meeting. In the IT-branch, it was discovered that a faulty update from IT-security firm Crowdstrike likely caused the problems at Microsoft and other companies, which ultimately led to the widespread impact.
