Hey folks, gather ’round for the tech catastrophe of the year! A global technology outage has thrown the world into chaos, grounding flights, knocking banks offline, and leaving media outlets in the dark. The culprit? A botched software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike affected computers running Microsoft Windows. No, it’s not a cyberattack, just good old-fashioned incompetence.
Airports are a mess, with long lines forming in the U.S., Europe, and Asia as airlines struggle with check-in and booking systems. Even Olympians like German diver Saskia Oettinghaus are stuck, unable to get to Paris for the Games. Hospitals? They’re canceling surgeries because appointment systems are down. You can’t make this stuff up.
JUST IN – Crowdstrike CEO says “it’s not a cyberattack” and a “fix has been deployed” after causing global IT outages. The company’s stock is down 20% pre-market.
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) July 19, 2024
Ciaran Martin from Oxford University calls it a “very uncomfortable illustration” of our dependence on a few tech providers. Meanwhile, cyber expert James Bore warns of real harm, including potential deaths due to the outage. “We’ve made all of these tools so widespread that when things inevitably go wrong — and they will, as we’ve seen — they go wrong at a huge scale,” he says.
In Germany, IT security chief Claudia Plattner admits the problems will “last some time.” Microsoft is scrambling to reroute traffic and claims there’s a “positive trend” in service availability. CrowdStrike is also in damage control mode, insisting this isn’t a security incident and promising a fix is on the way.
Every time. pic.twitter.com/jaVFT9jH2u
— Michael Seifert (@realmichaelseif) July 19, 2024
Let’s talk about the chaos on the ground. Airlines like United, American, and Delta are resuming some flights but expect delays. In the U.K., railways are hit too, with longer waits. Berlin-Brandenburg Airport halted flights for hours, Zurich suspended landings, and airports in Hungary, Italy, and Turkey were also affected. KLM suspended most operations, and Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is dealing with one of its busiest days in chaos.
Down under, Australia is feeling the pain with stranded passengers and disabled check-in services. Banks, internet providers, and national news outlets are all hit, with some broadcasters forced to go live online from dark offices.
Hospitals are not spared either. The NHS in England reports issues across most doctors’ offices, and northern Germany’s hospitals canceled elective surgeries. Even shipping is disrupted, with Poland’s Baltic port of Gdansk battling problems.
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
So there you have it, folks. A global tech meltdown proves just how fragile our world is when a single software update goes wrong. It’s not just an inconvenience; it’s a wake-up call. Buckle up because it looks like we’re in for a bumpy ride.