What we know about global IT disruption

Large-scale IT outages caused chaos around the world, with major banks, media and airlines among the victims.

Many flights have been grounded, there are queues and delays at airports, and shops and communications have been affected.

The cause is unclear, but Microsoft said it was taking “mitigation actions” to address the “lingering effects” of the outage.

Australia’s Department of Home Affairs and American Airlines both said the outage appeared to be related to issues with global cyber security company Crowdstrike.

Here’s a summary of what we know so far.

What exactly went wrong remains unclear.

However, a spokesman for Australia’s Home Affairs Minister said the outage appeared to be related to an issue with a global cyber security company mass strike.

Australia’s National Cyber ​​Security Coordinator described it as a “massive technical outage” and said there was no information to suggest it was an attack.

American airlinesThe world’s largest airline by passenger numbers told the BBC that the IT issues were due to “technical issues with Crowdstrike affecting multiple airlines”.

United Airlines “A third-party software outage is affecting computer systems around the world, including United Airlines,” told the BBC.

There are reports that a software update released by Crowdstrike, which makes anti-virus software, caused Windows devices to crash.

Crowdstrike shares plunged 21% in early pre-market trading. Microsoft and travel and leisure stocks also fell as investors weighed potential disruptions to vacationers.

The BBC has contacted Crowdstrike for comment but has yet to receive a response.

The fact that Crowdstrike, a company not quite a household name, could be at the center of global chaos is a reminder of the complexity of modern digital infrastructure.

The American company, headquartered in Austin, Texas, is a company listed on the American Stock Exchange and is represented in the S&P 500 Index and the High-Tech Nasdaq Index.

Like many modern tech companies, it hasn’t been around very long. The company was only 13 years old but has grown to nearly 8,500 employees.

As a cybersecurity service provider, it is often required to deal with the aftermath of hacker attacks.

It has been involved in the investigation of several high-profile cyberattacks, such as Sony Pictures computer systems attacked by hackers Year 2014.

But this time, a company typically involved in solving IT problems may have a role in the root of the problem, thanks to a reportedly flawed software update.

In its last earnings report, Crowdstrike claimed a total of nearly 24,000 customers. This shows not only the scale of the reported problem, but also the difficulties that may be encountered in resolving it.

Each customer is a large organization in its own right, so the number of affected PCs is difficult to estimate.

People familiar with the matter said the fix may have to be applied to each affected device individually, causing huge headaches for IT departments everywhere.

The problem emerged piecemeal, with the first reports coming from Australia.

Payment system glitches at Australian stores, including woolworthwhile financial institutions such as National Australia Bank also been affected.

Then the problem spread to us. status Alaska warned that its emergency services were affected, while several of the country’s airlines – Unity, delta and American airlines – grounded their flights around the world.

Australian operator Virgin Australia and Jetstar Airways As the departure screen at Sydney Airport was blank, flights had to be postponed or canceled.

Tokyo-Narita and delhi The airport said services were affected. European airports reported power outages causing flight delays and long queues at London airports. Stansted and Gatwick and amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

Ryanair It said it was experiencing a “potential network-wide outage,” which it said was due to a third-party outage.

Broadcasters are also in disarray, including sky news In the UK, the show has been discontinued.

As the full extent of the damage became clear, more companies and institutions began reporting problems.

this london stock exchange It said it was working normally, but there were problems with its news service, which the company uses to report sensitive market information in a timely manner.

Israel Say 15 Hospital There has been a shift to manual processes, but this has not affected medical care. Ambulances were told to send new cases to other hospitals.

There is also the largest container terminal in Poland. Baltic hub in northern city gdańskIt said the power outage “hindered terminal operations” and asked companies not to deliver containers to the port.

In the UK, rail companies reported delays and said they were experiencing “extensive IT issues”, while some doctors’ surgeries in the UK reported booking problems.

Troubles have spread to upscale British bakery chain Gaelicthe company said it is currently unable to accept in-store payments.