During the early morning hours of 19 July, U.S. IT firm CrowdStrike reported that a "defect" in an update for Windows was the cause of a massive global IT outage that led to major operational disruptions to airports and airlines, hospitals, banks, media organizations, and more. It is reportedly the largest IT outage ever, and CrowdStrike is deploying a fix after identifying the issue.
The incident underscores the critical nature of information technology infrastructure to daily operations of businesses and people. A single "defective" update can cripple global IT operations. It raises concerns about multiple shared single points of failure for so many organizations.
Situation Report
- Flight operations disrupted globally. Some have been resolved while others are ongoing. For example, London's Heathrow Airport activated contingency plans to minimize disruptions.
- At least 1,683 flights have been cancelled and almost 19,000 delayed.
- The FAA earlier grounded all American Airlines, Delta, and United flights.
- Rail travel disrupted in the UK and Australia.
- Government IT services in Australia, New Zealand, and parts of the U.S. impacted.
- Many hospitals in the U.S. are unable to access medical records and medical practices in the U.K. are also suffering disruptions.
- Metro services disrupted in parts of the U.S.
- 911 services disrupted in multiple U.S. states.
- Payment systems impacted globally.
- Disruptions to Microsoft services.
- The Paris Olympics organizing committee says its operations have been impacted.
Analysis
- According to experts, while the fix has been deployed by CrowdStrike, it requires machines to be online, but they are "boot looping" due to the initial problem. Therefore, this outage could last for some time.
- The incident raises concerns about multiple shared single points of failure in global IT infrastructure.
Recommendations
- Work with travel management companies to accommodate impacted travelers.
- Review IT infrastructure operations.
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