Global: Microsoft Server Outage After An Update Cripples IT Systems Worldwide

New Delhi, July 20, 2024 – A colossal IT outage originating from Microsoft wreaked havoc across various sectors globally on Friday, affecting systems in countries such as India, Australia, Germany, and beyond. The widespread disruption grounded flights, crippled banking operations, and disabled emergency services.

Impact on Airlines and Airports

Airlines faced severe disruptions, with check-in systems going offline at airports worldwide. In India, IndiGo, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Air India, and Vistara were among the airlines affected, leading to significant delays and cancellations. IndiGo alone canceled approximately 200 flights. Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, Berlin Airport, and Edinburgh Airport were also heavily impacted, causing extensive delays and cancellations.

Airlines Affected

• India:
• IndiGo
• Akasa Air
• SpiceJet
• Air India
• Vistara

United States:

• American Airlines
• Delta Airlines
• United Airlines
• Frontier Airlines
• Allegiant
• Sun Country Airlines

Europe:

• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
• Ryanair
• Air France
• Cathay Pacific
• Eurowings
• Scandinavian Airlines
• Vueling

Other Countries:

• Turkish Airlines
• Airports Affected
• India:
• New Delhi
• Chennai
• Bengaluru
• Mumbai
• Hyderabad
• Jaipur

Europe:

• Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport (Netherlands)
• Berlin Airport (Germany)
• Prague Airport (Czech Republic)
• Madrid Airport (Spain)
• Barcelona Airport (Spain)
• London Airports (UK)
• Edinburgh Airport (UK)
• Brussels Airport (Belgium)
• Lisbon Airport (Portugal)

Australia:

• Various airports (unspecified)

Asia:

• Hong Kong Airport (China)
• Singapore Airport (Singapore)

Financial Sector Turmoil

The outage also hit the financial sector hard. Stock exchanges in various countries experienced disruptions, including the London Stock Exchange. Several brokerage firms in India, such as Nuvama, Edelweiss, and Motilal Oswal, reported technical outages, causing traders significant inconvenience. Payment systems globally, including in India, were affected, leading to long queues at retail stores and difficulties in accessing financial services.

Broadcasting and Media Disruptions

News broadcasters were not spared. Sky News in the UK and ABC News in Australia faced significant disruptions, with live broadcasts interrupted. The Associated Press also reported intermittent service disruptions, affecting news delivery globally.

Health and Emergency Services

Health services in multiple countries were disrupted. In England, a health booking system used by doctors went offline, and hospitals in Germany canceled elective surgeries. In the United States, 911 emergency services were disrupted in several areas, affecting non-emergency call centers as well.

Cause and Response

The root of the outage was identified as a failure in CrowdStrike Falcon, a cybersecurity platform used by Microsoft. Both Microsoft and CrowdStrike ruled out a cyberattack, attributing the issue to a recent update in the CrowdStrike software. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz assured users that mitigation efforts were underway, and improvements in service availability were being observed.

How to Resolve the CrowdStrike Issue

According to Kurtz, some users have managed to fix the issue by simply rebooting their computers. However, if the problem persists, CrowdStrike has provided a manual workaround for the blue screen error. This solution involves booting the system into Safe Mode or the Windows Recovery Environment. Once in this mode, users should navigate to the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CrowdStrike directory and delete the file named "C-00000291*.sys." This process will disable CrowdStrike and other third-party drivers from operating, as explained by a professional.

Will Restarting Your Computer 15 Times Work?

Microsoft has indicated that some customers using its Azure cloud service have resolved the issue by rebooting their systems up to 15 times, no explaination. Amazon has also recommended rebooting as a potential solution for customers using its AWS cloud software.

Government and CERT-In Advisory

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) is in discussions with Microsoft to resolve the issue. The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) issued an advisory detailing steps to resolve the issue for affected users. They recommended booting Windows into Safe Mode or the Windows Recovery Environment, deleting a specific file in the CrowdStrike directory, and rebooting the system.

Looking Ahead

While services are gradually being restored, the residual impact of the outage continues to affect various sectors. Microsoft and CrowdStrike are actively working to ensure the stability and security of their systems and have advised users to stay updated through official channels.

As the world grapples with the fallout from one of the most extensive IT outages in history, the incident underscores the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures and swift incident response strategies to mitigate the impact of such disruptions in the future.