A major Microsoft outage has triggered chaos worldwide, disrupting flights, hospitals, GP surgeries, train services, banks, stock exchanges, and TV channels.
The technical issue has caused Windows computers to suddenly shut down, resulting in departure boards going dark at airports such as Gatwick and Edinburgh on one of the busiest travel days since COVID-19.
Britain’s largest train operator warned passengers to expect delays due to ‘widespread IT issues’. Airlines like Ryanair and Wizz Air also issued warnings about potential ‘disruption’. NHS staff reported that most non-clinical systems were down when they logged on.
Microsoft has acknowledged an ‘issue’ with its 365 apps and operating systems, advising users to anticipate ‘service degradation’. US cybersecurity company CrowdStrike admitted responsibility for the error and assured they are ‘working on it’.
As the world’s most widely used operating system, Windows’ outage is impacting nearly every sector of the global economy. Restaurants and cafes, including the bakery chain Gail’s, are unable to process card payments.
In the UK, Sky News experienced a major blackout on Friday morning. The Comcast-owned news channel was off air for about an hour, resuming service just before 9 am local time. Other international channels, including Sky News Australia, which is not connected to the UK station, also encountered issues.
A private news outlet has reported on the widespread disruptions and the ongoing efforts to resolve the outage.
