Summary
As the global IT outage continues, we will be pivoting our coverage to the ongoing blog run by our colleagues in the UK, which can be found here. Here’s a wrap-up of this morning’s outage impacts, largely from the US:
Flight cancellations within, into and out of the US have reached 2,042 as of 12:17pm on Friday morning due to the global IT outage. Additionally, according to FlightAware, the total number of delays within, into and out of the US is currently at 5,728.
Billboards in Times Square have gone dark amid the global IT outage. Videos posted on social media showed black screens in place of the usually animated and colorful advertisements in New York City. The Associated Press reports Tom Harris, president of the Times Square Alliance, saying that a “handful” of the more than 100 billboards in Times Square remain offline.
All of Maryland’s judiciary systems are closed to the public except for emergency matters due to the global IT outage. In a statement on X, Maryland’s judiciary wrote: “Notice: Due to the worldwide Microsoft outage, all Maryland courts, offices, and facilities will be closed to the public today but will remain open for emergency matters.”
Georgia’s department of driver services (DDS) is down due to the global IT outage. In a post on X on Friday, the state’s DDS wrote: “Due to the global Microsoft/Crowdstrike outage, DDS services are unavailable at this time. Please check back for updates.”
Fedex and UPS have both reported service delays amid the global IT outage. In a statement on Friday, Fedex said it “has activated contingency plans to mitigate impacts from a global IT outage experienced by a third party software vendor”. UPS echoed similar messages, saying: “While the UPS network is operating and delivering in all areas, there is a potential for delivery delays due to a global technology outage.”
A White House spokesperson released the following statement on the outage, per pool reports: “The president has been briefed on the CrowdStrike outage and his team is in touch with CrowdStrike and impacted entities.”
A few hospitals across the US have had to cancel non-urgent surgeries as a result of the global IT outage. In a post on X on Friday, the Boston hospital Mass General Brigham said: “Due to the severity of this issue, all previously scheduled non-urgent surgeries, procedures, and medical visits are cancelled today.” Mount Nittany Health in Pennsylvania issued a similar statement, saying that it has had to cancel all non-emergency appointments including surgeries for Friday.
The dollar rose and stock markets fell in jittery trading today, as the global IT outage unnerved investors. The group that runs the London Stock Exchange suffered an outage that affected user access to some of its products, and Refinitiv was down earlier. By around midday in Europe, the company said its services had been restored.
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Billboards in Times Square have gone dark amid the global IT outage.
Videos posted on social media showed black screens in place of the usually animated and colorful advertisements in New York City:
NEW: A global Microsoft outage also impacted NYC billboards in Times Square. READ MORE: https://t.co/G2rb8yjXLi pic.twitter.com/bHtOunJsjb
— FOX 5 NY (@fox5ny) July 19, 2024
CROWDSTRIKE OUTAGE: Airplanes grounded, banking, Microsoft and businesses disrupted after software update bug causes worldwide chaos.
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) July 19, 2024
Times Square Billboards GO DARK in NYC.
Video by Kevin RC Wilson Desk@freedomnews.tv to license pic.twitter.com/mBv6lsSvq6
The Associated Press reports Tom Harris, president of the Times Square Alliance, saying that a “handful” of the more than 100 billboards in Times Square remain offline.
“We’re almost back to business as usual,” he said, adding that it remains unclear whether the blackouts were due to the outage or regularly scheduled maintenance or other issues, the AP reports.
More than 2,000 flight cancellations across US
Flight cancellations within, into and out of the US have reached 2,042 as of 12:17pm on Friday morning due to the global IT outage.
Additionally, according to FlightAware, the total number of delays within, into and out of the US is currently at 5,728.
Some 31% of United’s flights, 26% of Delta’s flights and 20% of American’s flights are delayed.
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Here is a time-lapse video by Flightradar24 and US Stormwatch of flights across the US grinding to a halt due to the global IT outage:
12-hour timelapse of American Airlines, Delta, and United plane traffic after what was likely the biggest IT outage in history forced a nationwide ground stop of the three airlines. pic.twitter.com/wwcQeiEtVe
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) July 19, 2024
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All of Maryland's judiciary systems are closed except for 'emergency matters' due to global IT outage
All of Maryland’s judiciary systems are closed to the public except for emergency matters due to the global IT outage.
In a statement on X, Maryland’s judiciary wrote:
Notice: Due to the worldwide Microsoft outage, all Maryland courts, offices, and facilities will be closed to the public today but will remain open for emergency matters. All clerks’ offices are closed. This message will be updated as additional information is available.
Notice: Due to the worldwide Microsoft outage, all Maryland courts, offices, and facilities will be closed to the public today but will remain open for emergency matters. All clerks’ offices are closed. This message will be updated as additional information is available.
— Maryland Judiciary (@MDJudiciary) July 19, 2024
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Georgia’s department of driver services (DDS) is down due to the global IT outage.
In a post on X on Friday, the state’s DDS wrote:
Due to the global Microsoft/Crowdstrike outage, DDS services are unavailable at this time. Please check back for updates.
Due to the global Microsoft/Crowdstrike outage, DDS services are unavailable at this time. Please check back for updates. pic.twitter.com/t2sazkT0XC
— Georgia DDS (@GeorgiaDDS) July 19, 2024
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Nearly 1,800 flight cancellations across US
Flight cancellations within, into and out of the US have reached 1,773 as of 11am on Friday morning due to the global IT outage.
Additionally, according to FlightAware, the total number of delays within, into and out of the US is currently at 4,763.
Some 25% of United’s flights, 22% of Delta’s flights and 15% of American’s flights are delayed.
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Have you been affected by the global IT outage? Share your experience with us
A widespread outage linked to Windows workstations caused by a CrowdStrike software update has affected major companies such as Sky News UK, the Melbourne airport, and Thameslink and infrastructure, including health services around the world.
Have you been affected by the global IT outage? Let us know how it has had an impact on you in the link below:
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Fedex and UPS report service delays amid outage
Fedex and UPS have both reported service delays amid the global IT outage.
In a statement on Friday, Fedex said:
FedEx has activated contingency plans to mitigate impacts from a global IT outage experienced by a third party software vendor. However, potential delays are possible for package deliveries with a commitment of July 19, 2024. FedEx is committed to providing the best service possible.
Similarly, UPS said:
While the UPS network is operating and delivering in all areas, there is a potential for delivery delays due to a global technology outage. Contingency plans are in place to help ensure that shipments arrive at their final destinations as quickly as possible.
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New York City’s 911 call systems have not been affected by the global IT outage, Mayor Eric Adams said in a press conference on Friday morning.
Adams added that the city’s fire department also has no backlog.
He went on to say:
Although we want to tell parents you may see disruption on the bus tracking app, the systems are still operating. We expect to continue to see cascading effects of the outage throughout the day.
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Here are some images coming through the newswires from the US and around the world of the global IT outage:
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Biden briefed on outage and White House team 'engaged across the interagency'
A White House spokesperson has released the following statement on the outage, per pool reports:
The president has been briefed on the CrowdStrike outage and his team is in touch with CrowdStrike and impacted entities.
His team is engaged across the interagency to get sector by sector updates throughout the day and is standing by to provide assistance as needed.
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Long lines are seen at the Portland airport in Oregon as passengers of Delta and American airlines face delays due to the global IT outage:
SYSTEM OUTAGE‼️✈️: The line for @Delta and @AmericanAir this morning… numerous delays at PDX after flights were grounded from the IT outage. Impacted airlines include American, Delta, and United.@PortOfPortland recommends getting in touch with your airline if you’re traveling… pic.twitter.com/QFzuJuktQ9
— Savannah Welch (@svnnh_wlch) July 19, 2024
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Today’s global Microsoft IT outage could affect company payrolls and the ability for businesses across the US to pay their employees.
Melanie Pizzey, CEO and founder of the Global Payroll Association, said:
We’ve been contacted by numerous clients already today who have been unable to access their payroll software due to the Microsoft outage and others who have been urged to log out with immediate effect.
Depending on the length of this outage, it could have very serious implications for businesses across the nation, particularly those who process payroll on a weekly basis. Furthermore, we could see a backlog with regard to processing payrolls for the coming month end which may delay employees from receiving their monthly wage.
At best, it will require those managing payroll to work overtime to rectify the issue, but the good news is that it doesn’t seem to be a cyber-attack. This means that the sensitive employee details held within payroll should be safe, although we’re seeing many companies understandably take action to minimise such a threat as a precaution.
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US hospitals cancel non-urgent surgeries amid outage
A few hospitals across the US have had to cancel non-urgent surgeries as a result of the global IT outage.
In a post on X on Friday, the Boston hospital Mass General Brigham said:
A major worldwide software outage has affected many of our systems at Mass General Brigham, as well as many major businesses across the country. Due to the severity of this issue, all previously scheduled non-urgent surgeries, procedures, and medical visits are cancelled today.
A major worldwide software outage has affected many of our systems at Mass General Brigham, as well as many major businesses across the country. Due to the severity of this issue, all previously scheduled non-urgent surgeries, procedures, and medical visits are cancelled today.… pic.twitter.com/uqYz5XEHF7
— Brigham and Women's Hospital (@BrighamWomens) July 19, 2024
Mount Nittany Health in Pennsylvania issued a similar statement, saying that it has had to cancel all non-emergency appointments including surgeries for Friday.
It added that it currently has limited access to patient contact information and apologized for the convenience.
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Dollar set for weekly gain, stocks down amid IT outage
The dollar rose and stock markets fell in jittery trading today, as the global IT outage unnerved investors.
The group that runs the London Stock Exchange suffered an outage that affected user access to some of its products, and Refinitiv was down earlier. By around midday in Europe, the company said its services had been restored.
The pound, which earlier this week hit a one-year high above $1.30, fell by 0.2% today to $1.2921.
The FTSE 100 index in London lost 0.5% or 43 points to 8,161, while the German Dax and the French CAC traded down by a similar amount, and the FTSE MiB in Milan slid by 0.7%.
The dollar index, which measures the US currency against six other major currencies, rose by 0.2% to a high of 104.4, and is set for a modest weekly gain after two weeks of losses.
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The deputy spokesperson for New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, said that “critical infrastructure and emergency operations, including the 911 call system, have not been impacted”.
In a series of tweets, Fabien Levy wrote:
As this outage only affects Windows-based devices receiving automatic updates, our team at@NYCOfficeofTech has been working for the last few hours to halt any automatic updates and minimize potential service disruptions.”
He added:
All city IT departments will be prioritizing this work today.
— Fabien Levy (@Fabien_Levy) July 19, 2024
To be clear, we currently have no reason to believe this is anything other than a bad update from CrowdStrike. @NYCMayor has been fully briefed and is monitoring the situation.
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Here’s more on that 911 outage in Alaska via the Alaska state troopers on Facebook:
“Due to a nationwide technology-related outage, many 911 and non-emergency call centers are not working correctly across the State of Alaska. If you have an emergency and 911 is not working in your area, you can call the following phone numbers directly:
Interior Alaska, Western Alaska, Southeast Alaska: 907-474-2568
Mat-Su Valley: 907-376-5486
Kenai Peninsula: 907-262-4453
We appreciate your patience and will update you when we know more.”
American travelers are facing a difficult morning.
According to aviation data company Flightaware’s Misery Map, 810 flights have been delayed so far and 210 have been canceled.
Most of the delays so far are on the east coast but that will likely change as the US starts its day. Over half of New York flights are delayed. The mess shows how vulnerable the US is to cyber incidents, notes Resilient Societies, a US thinktank.
With over half of New York flights now delayed due to faulty CrowdStrike update, FlightAware Misery Map for Friday morning shows vulnerability to cyber incidents. pic.twitter.com/uPxzgBi6RA
— Resilient Societies (@ResilientGrid) July 19, 2024
yall cant even really see how bad this shit is here but omg #jfk pic.twitter.com/iWikrN5dUD
— rizzy mcguire❣️ (@ITgurlMia) July 19, 2024
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What we know about the outage's US impact
Airports, health services and businesses across the US have been knocked offline by the Microsoft outage caused by a CrowdStrike software update. Here’s what we know so far about impacts on the US:
The Federal Aviation Administration shut down operations due to the outage. There were about 110,000 commercial flights scheduled worldwide on Friday. By 6am ET, nearly 1,400 of them had been cancelled, according to reports.
In a statement on Friday, the FAA said that it is “closely monitoring a technical issue impacting IT systems at US airlines.” It added: “Several airlines have requested FAA assistance with ground stops until the issue is resolved.”
Long lines were forming at major US airports, as New York, Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago airports were among those facing major delays as airlines struggled to process travelers. NBC news reports departure screens and check-in systems have failed and delays are expected to keep going up.
In Alaska, 911 services were affected by the CrowdStrike outage. State troopers wrote: “Due to a nationwide technology-related outage, many 911 and non-emergency call centers are not working correctly across the state of Alaska.”
The White House said that it is “looking into” the outage, according to a spokesperson speaking to CNN. “We’re aware of the incident and are looking into the issue and impacts,” the full statement said.
New York City’s subway system agency, the MTA, said that “some MTA customer information systems are temporarily offline due to a worldwide technical outage”. It added that train and bus service is unaffected.
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Some US tourists in the UK were forced to pay $6,800 for new flights home from Edinburgh airport after original plans were cancelled because of IT outages.
Stephanie Thompson, heading home to Dallas, Texas, said her family, who were in the UK to attend Wimbledon and the Open Championship in Troon, were unable to reach British Airways or American Airlines for support.
Speaking from Edinburgh Airport, she told the PA news agency:
It was supposed to leave at 9.25am and change in Heathrow at 11 and we were supposed to get into Dallas later today.
We couldn’t get an answer from anybody. British Airways kept hanging up saying we have too many calls right now. I was on hold with American [Airlines] for about an hour and 10 minutes before I finally hung up.
We just paid 6,800 dollars for a one-way trip home, hopefully leaving tonight. I didn’t know what else to do. I just wanted something to get us home.
Another US tourist, Debbie, and her family said their flight to Boston was also cancelled.
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CrowdStrike CEO 'deeply sorry' for global impact of flawed software update
The CrowdStrike chief executive, George Kurtz, just appeared on NBC’s Today morning show moments ago and said the company was “deeply sorry” for the disruption being felt around the world by the major tech glitch affecting some of client Microsoft’s systems.
CrowdStrike, the global cybersecurity firm, has said it had identified a major problem in an update of its software and was working to resolve it, although the exact cause is not yet known.
“We have to go back and see what happened here,” Kurtz told Today co-anchor Hoda Kotb.
He reiterated that it wasn’t a cyber-attack and was related to a “content update” on its software.
“We are not going to relent until we get every customer back to where we were – and keep the bad guys out of the system,” he said.
Kurtz appeared exhausted after the overnight crisis.
EXCLUSIVE: CrowdStrike founder and CEO @George_Kurtz speaks on TODAY about the major computer outages worldwide that started earlier today: “We’re deeply sorry for the impact that we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected by this.” pic.twitter.com/fWz6KhgrcZ
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 19, 2024
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Crowds are growing at airports across the US as airlines struggle to get flights going again amid the tech outage and even as services revive they will take hours to get back on schedule.
Passengers are growing frustrated as agents try to check as many people in as possible manually, while computer systems are down.
LaGuardia, one of the big New York City airports that focuses mainly on domestic flights, has warned passengers not to come to the airport right now unless they know their flight has a departure confirmation.
Due to the ongoing global network outage, some airlines are experiencing delays/cancellations. DO NOT head to the airport unless your flight is confirmed.
— LaGuardia Airport: Rated Best Airport in its Class (@LGAairport) July 19, 2024
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Crowdstrike CEO: 'A fix has been deployed'
CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz said the problem was caused by a “defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts”.
He wrote on X:
CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.
We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. We further recommend organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.
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The cause of the outage is still being investigated but it appears to be affecting Windows PCs globally.
The IT security firm CrowdStrike ran a recorded phone message on Friday saying it was aware of reports of crashes on Microsoft’s Windows operating system relating to its Falcon sensor.
CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity company, and Falcon sensor is software designed to prevent computer systems from cyber-attacks. Earlier this morning, the company warned its users that Windows systems were “experiencing a bug check/blue screen error related to the Falcon sensor,” and said that its engineering teams were working to fix the issue.
“Thanks for contacting CrowdStrike support. CrowdStrike is aware of reports of crashes on Windows … related to the Falcon sensor,” a prerecorded message said.
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A massive internet outage affecting Microsoft is disrupting flights, banks, media outlets and companies across the world, with problems continuing hours after the technology company said it was gradually fixing an issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services.
Airlines in the United States, Europe, Australia and India were reporting problems, with some flights grounded.
Travelers faced major delays at US airports as American Airlines, Delta and other US airlines were affected.
The emergency 911 lines in the US state of Alaska went down, according to the state troopers service. “Due to a nationwide technology related outage, many 911 and non-emergency call centres are not working correctly across the state of Alaska,” a statement read.
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.
We’ll bring you the latest updates as we get them.
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