Following an investigation into a global disruption affecting Windows operating systems, the Information Technologies and Communication Authority of Türkiye announced that the outage was not caused by a cyber-attack. Instead, it was linked to a software issue with CrowdStrike, a US-based cyber-security firm. CrowdStrike acknowledged the problem, attributing it to a defect in a single content update for Windows hosts.
CrowdStrike cybersecurity firm says its update triggered worldwide IT outage.
As a result of the investigation regarding the global interruption in devices using the Windows operating system, it was determined that the outage is linked to US-based cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike’s software. The disruption was not caused by a cyber-attack, the Information Technologies and Communication Authority of Türkiye announced on Friday.
“CrowdStrike is aware of reports of crashes on Windows related to the Falcon Sensor,” the firm said on its website.
George Kurtz, CEO of CrowdStrike, said on X platform his firm is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. “This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed,” he stressed.
He recommended customers update their devices from the support portal while the firm continues to provide complete and continuous updates.
“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,” he added. He also said Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted by the outage.
Troy Hunt, a regional director at Microsoft, said on X platform that the issue is not a “Microsoft outage,” it’s a CrowdStrike issue impacting Microsoft PCs.
Microsoft has said on X platform that its services are seeing continuous improvements while it continues to take mitigation actions. Microsoft also stated that its services, PowerBI, Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 admin center, were affected by the IT outage.
“We’re closely monitoring our telemetry data to ensure this upward trend continues as our mitigation actions continue to progress,” it noted.
The IT outage has affected many sectors from aviation to health and TV channels so far. A major IT outage has disrupted businesses and institutions worldwide, affecting services ranging from airlines and airports to banks and supermarkets. In the UK, Sky News went off air, and the largest train company warned of disruptions due to widespread IT issues. The outage has been linked to problems at Microsoft, which confirmed service degradation affecting many of its popular applications.
Businesses and institutions around the world have been knocked offline after a major IT outage.
In the UK, Sky News is off air, while Britain’s biggest train company warned passengers to expect disruption because of “widespread IT issues.” Around the world, banks, supermarkets, and other major institutions reported computer issues disrupting services, with some airlines warning of delays and some airports grounding flights.
Overnight, Microsoft confirmed it was investigating an issue with its services and apps, with the tech giant’s service health website warning of “service degradation” that meant users may not be able to access many of the company’s most popular services, used by millions of businesses and people around the world.
Cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt also reported seeing issues at global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, with Australian telecoms firm Telstra posting to X, formerly Twitter, that the worldwide outage was “because of a global issue affecting both Microsoft and CrowdStrike.”
Among the impacted firms is Ryanair, with the airline posting to its website: “Potential disruptions across the network (Fri 19 July) due to a global third party system outage.”
“Affected passengers will be notified and any passengers traveling across the network on Fri 19 July should check their Ryanair app for the latest updates on their flight. We advise passengers to arrive at the airport three hours in advance of their flight to avoid any disruptions. We regret any inconvenience caused to passengers by this third-party IT issue, which is outside of Ryanair’s control and affects all airlines operating across the network.”
Edinburgh Airport said the IT outage is causing longer waiting times.
A spokesperson said: “An IT system outage means wait times are longer than usual at the airport. This outage is affecting many other businesses, including airports. Work is ongoing to resolve this and our teams are on hand to assist where we can. Passengers are thanked for their patience.”
Meanwhile, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) – parent company of Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express, and Great Northern – warned passengers to expect delays because of the issue.