A global IT outage is causing disruption across the UK and around the world this morning.
From airports to GP surgeries, some services in the UK are struggling to function after a major IT outage is believed to have been caused by a faulty update to widely used cybersecurity software.
Major infrastructure including airlines, train companies, banks and media outlets have experienced issues after their computer systems were knocked offline or devices were left showing the so-called “Blue Screen of Death” (BSOD).
Which services have been affected in the UK?
In the UK, Sky News was forced off air as the outage meant it was unable to broadcast although the issue is now fixed.
Sky Sports News, CBBC and London Stock Exchange News Platform (RNS) were also affected by the outage.
Train service information website National Rail Enquiries warned passengers there are “widespread IT issues across the entire network”.
Microsoft is currently experiencing a global outage which is impacting select systems at Heathrow. Flights are operational and we are implementing contingency plans to minimise any impact on journeys. Please check with your airline for the latest flight information. pic.twitter.com/s6Psd6pHUB
— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) July 19, 2024
Sky News has shared the full list of services that have been disrupted in the UK.
It says these are the train firms that have been affected:
- Avanti West Coast
- Gatwick Express
- Great Northern
- Great Western Railway
- Hull Trains
- London Northwestern
- Lumo Railway
- Northern Railway
- Southern Railway
- Thameslink
- TransPennine
- West Midlands Rail
A spokesperson for Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, said the outage was “impacting select systems”.
She went on: “Flights are operational and we are implementing contingency plans to minimise any impact on journeys.”
Long queues formed at airports such as Gatwick, Luton and Edinburgh.
UK airports affected, according to Sky News, are:
- Heathrow - flights "operational" but there are delays
- Luton - using manual systems for check-in services
- London Gatwick - warning of delays
- Manchester - check-in taking longer for some airlines
- Edinburgh airport - longer wait times due to outage
- Stansted Airport - check-in services being done manually
- Liverpool Airport - airlines affected
- Birmingham Airport - some delays at check-in
Airlines affected are:
- Ryanair
- Delta Airlines
- American Airlines
- Virgin Australia
- SpiceJet and Akasa Air (Both low-cost Indian airlines)
- WizzAir
Ferry services at the port of Dover have been disrupted with people being told to expect to wait longer.
GP surgeries and pharmacies in England are also experiencing issues with some GP practices taking to social media to report they cannot access the EMIS Web system.
EMIS Web is the most widely used clinical system for primary care in the UK and it enables GP practices to book appointments, examine records and includes a clinical decision support tool as well as helping with admin.
‼ IMPORTANT NOTICE ‼ There is a nationwide outage of our booking system EMIS. We're continuing as normal for urgent enquiries but ask for routine concerns to wait until Monday. Please continue to submit your queries through Engage Consult. Thank you.
— Windrush Medical Practice (@WindrushMedical) July 19, 2024
Football clubs have also been affected including Manchester United (ticket release postponed) and Hibernian Football Club (general ticket sale delayed).
Sky News said more problems could occur at other English Football League clubs as they also experienced issues this morning:
- Blackburn
- Bolton
- Bradford
- Chesterfield
- Huddersfield
- Leyton Orient
- Lincoln
- Plymouth
- Preston
- Rotherham
- Walsall
Doctor says outage is 'unsafe' for patients
Dr Farah Jameel, a GP in central London working at Museum Practice, told the PA news agency she is unable to access patient notes, imaging results, medication history and blood tests.
“We are still working through what this could mean for our practice,” she said.
“At present we cannot access any patient notes and are trying to assess patients on a case by case basis.
“We are unable to access blood test results, imaging results, clinical history and anticipate that the clinical documentation work will accumulate through the course of the day.
“Patient care pathways will be interrupted as we are unable to organise simple management plans like organising tests, and issuing regular medications.
“We are operating a clinical triage system so that we can ensure safety of our patients and see those with the greatest clinical need. Deferring all others that can safely wait to another day.”
Dr Jameel also stressed how “unsafe” the interruption is.
“I think we need to underline the clinical impact of this IT disruption on how significantly it has interrupted clinical care. This is unsafe.”
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) also said “services in community pharmacies, including the accessing of prescriptions from GPs and medicine deliveries, are disrupted today”.
Around the world, banks, supermarkets and other major institutions have reported computer issues that have led to the disruption of services.
Many businesses have been left unable to take digital payments.
Microsoft aware of outage issue
Microsoft has confirmed it was aware of and fixing issues with its cloud platform, Azure, but many cybersecurity experts have reported the potential source of the issue as global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which provides cyber attack monitoring and protection to many major businesses.
Experts have said a flawed update to CrowdStrike’s Falcon Sensor software could be the source of the problem.
CrowdStrike has not yet publicly confirmed any issue.
In a statement, Microsoft said a resolution for Windows devices was “forthcoming”.
It said: “We are aware of an issue affecting Windows devices due to an update from a third party software platform. We anticipate a resolution is forthcoming.”
