A major internet outage affecting Microsoft is disrupting flights, banks, media outlets, and companies across the world. Problems continued hours after the technology company announced it was gradually fixing an issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services.
Airlines and airports in the United States, Europe, Australia, India, and elsewhere reported problems, with some flights grounded. Retail outlets, banks, railway companies, and hospitals in several parts of the world were also affected in what appeared to be an unprecedented internet disruption.
Major airlines, medical facilities, businesses, and police forces around the world are currently being affected by a massive information technology glitch impacting Microsoft cloud computing services early Friday.
The cybersecurity company CrowdStrike said Friday that the outages resulted from one of its routine software updates gone wrong and was “not a security incident or cyberattack.” CrowdStrike, which provides cybersecurity services and software for many large corporations that use Microsoft systems, issued a new software update that automatically fixed some computers. However, some others must be manually restarted and patched, causing massive delays.
Microsoft announced late Friday morning that its 365 apps and services have recovered. Some individual customers may still be impacted, however.
The glitch has brought chaos to numerous key institutions and businesses worldwide, which may take some time to resolve. Many flights have been grounded globally, and stores and broadcasters in several countries went offline. According to aviation technology company FlightAware, the tech glitch was responsible for more than half of the U.S.’s 1,352 flight delays and cancellations before 8 a.m. (ET) on Friday.