Why are IT systems down? Windows, Sky, Ryanair and more suffer blackouts

A MICROSOFT outage has caused tech chaos around the world, from bricking-up PCs to keeping planes on the tarmac.

The tech giant has blamed a third party for the incident, it’s understood the third party is cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.

In a statement, Microsoft 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.”

CrowdStrike’s CEO George Kurtz said the company has found a defect in a recent CrowdStrike Windows update that caused the issue.

“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,” he wrote in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).

“The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.

“Our team is fully mobilised to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”

Here are all the systems and businesses currently impacted:

Tech

Several broadcasters worldwide have been forced to go off air due to the disruption.

In the UK, most notably Sky News and CBBC disappeared this morning.

The full worldwide list includes:

• Sky News UK
• Sky Sports News
• ABC News (Australia)
• CBBC – the BBC’s children’s channel

The London Stock Exchange has also been affected, with technical issues striking out the body’s Regulatory News Service (RNS).

Laptops and PCs have been experiencing so-called Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors, which essentially locks users out of their computers.

According to outage site Downdetector, users have been reporting issues with banking and Visa services, as well as BT and online gaming platforms.

The full list of affected banks include:

• Nationwide
• Santander
• Lloyds
• HSBC
• NatWest
• Bendigo Bank in Australia
• Adelaide Bank in Australia
• Capitec Bank in South Africa (services have been restored)

Retail

Supermarkets, shops and pubs have also been hit, as shoppers are asked to pay cash at tills.

Here’s the full list of retailers, pubs and banks affected in the UK:

• Morrisons
• Metro Bank
• Wetherspoons
• Waitrose
• Sainsbury’s
• Co-op
• Visa

Coles Supermarkets in Australia have also been affected.

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Travel

Not only has the outage affected airlines worldwide, but railway stations too.

UK airports that have been affected include:

• London Stansted
• London Gatwick
• London Heathrow
• London Luton
• Manchester Airport
• Liverpool Airport
• Edinburgh Airport
• Glasgow Airport

All Spanish airports have also been affected, alongside Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Sydney Airport in Australia, Singapore’s Changi Airport, Hong Kong Airport and Swissport, which hosts one of the world’s biggest ground handling services.

Many UK and US flights have been grounded, on what was expected to be one of the busiest travel days of the year.

The airlines affected include:

• Ryanair
• Delta Airlines
• American Airlines
• Virgin Australia
• SpiceJet and Akasa Air (Both low-cost Indian airlines)
• WizzAir

Full list of affected train lines:

• 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
• Malaysia’s railway operator KTMB

People at ferry port services may also be experiencing longer wait times, including at the Port of Dover in the UK.

3

Healthcare

NHS England has said the “majority of GP surgeries” are affected.

People across the UK have been unable to book appointments or access patient records.

Some independent pharmacies are unable to access prescriptions and medicine deliveries have been affected, according to Sky News.

There has been no known impact on 999 or emergency services in the UK.

In the US, however, 911 lines in Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Ohio have been disrupted.