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Global Internet Chaos: Microsoft Reassures, Not a Cyberattack

On Friday, a global internet outage caused significant disruptions for airlines and businesses. The CEO of cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, George Kurtz, assured everyone that the incident is not a cyberattack.

CrowdStrike’s Response and Clarification

George Kurtz, CEO of CrowdStrike, took to X to provide an official statement. “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,” Kurtz conveyed. Notably, he confirmed that Mac and Linux systems were not affected.

Kurtz further emphasized, “This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.” He assured customers that continuous updates will be provided through their support portal and website.

Impact on Air Travel

The disruption had a massive impact on air travel. FlightAware, a flight-tracking service, reported that more than 18,000 flights were delayed worldwide. This included over 1,200 delays in the U.S. alone. Various airlines faced technical issues, as noted in their posts on X.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also weighed in. In a post on X, the FAA stated that it “is closely monitoring a technical issue impacting IT systems at U.S. airlines.” The FAA reported that several airlines had requested their assistance with ground stops until the issue was resolved.

Passengers worldwide, including those in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, endured lengthy delays and lines. The primary problems stemmed from airline systems having trouble accessing check-in and booking services.

Broader Business Disruptions

The effects of the outage extended beyond airlines. In Australia, some news outlets struggled to get back on air for hours. Meanwhile, banks in South Africa and New Zealand reported issues with their payment systems, websites, or apps.

David Seymour, the acting prime minister of New Zealand, also posted on X regarding the situation. “Officials are aware of reporting related to a Microsoft outage that has caused disruption globally,” Seymour said. However, he clarified, “I have not currently received any reporting to indicate these issues are related to malicious cyber security activity.”

The global internet outage of Friday was a major event, but it’s clear from CrowdStrike’s statement that it was not a result of cyberattack. The problem was identified and addressed, with corrective measures already in place. As businesses recover from the disruptions, the continued updates and transparency from CrowdStrike and other officials provide a sense of reassurance. The day was marked by delays and inconvenience, but thankfully, it was not marred by security threats.

Timeline of Events (All times are GMT)

  • 07:58: BBC reports flights grounded at Sydney Airport and issues at the London Stock Exchange.
  • 07:59: Microsoft reports experiencing an outage.
  • 08:02: UK rail operator GTR announces difficulties, leading to cancellations and delays.
  • 08:06: Berlin Airport reports delays due to a “technical fault.” Spanish airports report an “incident” and switch to manual operations.
  • 08:10: Sky News goes off-air in the UK.
  • 08:24: Departure boards at Edinburgh Airport freeze, causing some passengers to miss flights. A fire alarm is triggered by a computer error. Edinburgh Airport announces the issue will be resolved soon.
  • 08:46: Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport reports an impact on flights.
  • 08:47: Long queues at London Stansted, with some retail payment machine services affected but main operations unaffected.
  • 09:02: Christchurch International Airport reports an outage affecting arrivals and departures.
  • 09:02: Cybersecurity company CrowdStrike is named in the situation, with a botched cybersecurity update causing widespread issues.
  • 09:20: American Airlines blames CrowdStrike and works to deliver a solution quickly.
  • 09:24: Gatwick Airport’s barcodes malfunction, causing manual boarding pass registration and expected delays.
  • 09:31: United Airlines blames third-party software for worldwide computer system issues, holding all aircraft at departure airports.
  • 09:35: Delhi Airport goes manual, using whiteboards and blank baggage tags.
  • 09:49: German airlines Lufthansa and SAS report disruptions to booking systems. Prague Airport and German carrier Eurowings face check-in issues. Belfast International in Northern Ireland is affected but operational. Zurich Airport forbids planes from landing.
  • 09:51: Dutch Airline KLM suspends most operations due to flight handling issues.
  • 10:08: UK rail operators, including Avanti West Coast, c2c, Gatwick Express, and others, report disruptions but continue running trains.
  • 10:01: Luton Airport experiences IT system failures across departments.
  • 10:14: Mallorca Airport faces three-hour queues.
  • 10:33: The Swiss Federal Office for Cybersecurity blames CrowdStrike for the issues.
  • 10:48: Microsoft updates, acknowledging an issue due to a third-party software update and anticipating a resolution.
  • 10:51: CrowdStrike issues a statement, clarifying the problem with a single content update for Windows hosts and assuring a fix has been deployed.
  • 10:58: Rail Delivery Group confirms most trains are running and directs customers to National Rail Enquiries for updates.

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