Saturday, August 2, 2025
  • Who’sWho Africa AWARDS
  • About Time Africa Magazine
  • Contact Us
Time Africa Magazine
  • Home
  • Magazine
  • WHO’SWHO AWARDS
  • News
  • World News
    • US
    • UAE
    • Europe
    • UK
    • Israel-Hamas
    • Russia-Ukraine
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Column
  • Interviews
  • Special Report
No Result
View All Result
Time Africa Magazine
  • Home
  • Magazine
  • WHO’SWHO AWARDS
  • News
  • World News
    • US
    • UAE
    • Europe
    • UK
    • Israel-Hamas
    • Russia-Ukraine
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Column
  • Interviews
  • Special Report
No Result
View All Result
Time Africa Magazine
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • WHO’SWHO AWARDS
  • News
  • Magazine
  • World News

Home » Science » Major global IT outage grounds flights, hits banks, businesses around the world

Major global IT outage grounds flights, hits banks, businesses around the world

July 19, 2024
in Science
0
544
SHARES
4.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Microsoft is scrambling to fix the ‘massive cyber event’ that caused computer meltdowns around the world on Friday.

Described as the ‘most serious IT outage the world has ever seen’, the outage has hit supermarkets, banks, telcos, streaming services and PCs.

Brits woke up to find Microsoft software and hardware affected, with airports, railways and GP surgeries also among those reporting problems.

ReadAlso

AI doctor four times better at identifying illnesses than humans

Microsoft shuts down Skype

It’s all due to a ‘buggy’ security update to Falcon, a type of antivirus software that protects Microsoft Windows devices from cyberattacks.

CrowdStrike – the company behind Falcon – is ‘actively working with customers’ who are affected, but insists it is ‘not a security incident or cyberattack’.

ADVERTISEMENT

On Friday, computers around the world started repeatedly crashing and displaying the ‘blue screen of death.

While Australia was the first to feel the brunt of the outage, the US, UK and Europe are experiencing the chaos too, with Sky News and CBBC unable to broadcast live in the morning.

Departure boards at Gatwick and Edinburgh airports suddenly turned off, while NHS staff have described logging on to find non-clinical systems are down, meaning patients can’t book appointments.

Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers football clubs even tweeted to say its online ticketing system is experiencing disruption, the latter describing it ‘out of our control’.

US IT provider CrowdStrike admitted it was due to a defect in the ‘content update’ for its Falcon anti-virus software which crashed Microsoft Windows devices.

CrowdStrike has said a ‘fix has been deployed’ for the issue – but this could take days to manifest, so problems with Windows computers could be ongoing.

The near global outage appears to have been caused by a failure of systems associated with the CrowdStrike Falcon endpoint security monitoring software,’ explained Dr Mark Gregory, associate professor at RMIT University’s School of Engineering.

‘CrowdStrike is a global multi-national software solutions provider.

‘Many businesses and organisations have found that their software systems have failed due to the software system outage.

‘The reliance on centrally managed global software solutions can lead to significant security risks.’

IS IT A CYBERATTACK?

Jake Moore, tech expert and security advisor at ESET, agreed it was likely a ‘technical fault’ from CrowdStrike, but said we can’t rule out a cyberattack behind the scenes.

‘At this moment it is more likely to be a huge technical fault but the fact it is possible is extremely worrying,’ Moore told MailOnline.

‘If anything, it would make threat actors take note of this particular outage and the potential damage it can cause.’

Professor Jill Slay, chair in cybersecurity at the University of South Australia, said at this stage it is ‘too early to draw conclusions’, but that an attack is not impossible.

While the outage may easily be a result of misconfiguration by one of these companies, or “interference” between products, the global impact is enormous,’ she said.

‘It is possible that there is a security breach, but to me, this is instinctively unlikely.’

Cyber expert Troy Hunt told Seven News the catastrophic crisis was not affecting all Microsoft Windows computers, but many of them.

Tags: Microsoft
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

Archaeologists move closer to unveiling exact room where Jesus ate Last Supper as search zeroes in

Next Post

Outage To Outrage: Why Today’s Global Windows Disaster Could Be Tomorrow’s Digital Apocalypse

You MayAlso Like

Press Release

AI doctor four times better at identifying illnesses than humans

June 30, 2025
Science

Apple working on brain implant to let users control devices with just their thoughts

May 14, 2025
Science

Goodbye to oxygen on Earth — this is the date scientists have set for when the air will no longer be breathable

March 2, 2025
Science

Meaning of “i” in iPhone, iPad, and other Apple products

February 2, 2025
Science

Stranded NASA astronaut says she’s lost ability to perform vital bodily function after being in space so long

February 2, 2025
Science

Scientists discover where the gate of hell is really located

February 8, 2025
Next Post

Outage To Outrage: Why Today's Global Windows Disaster Could Be Tomorrow's Digital Apocalypse

Nigeria Police Arrest 1,284 Suspects, Recover 284 Firearms, Rescue 97 Kidnapped Victims In 6 Weeks

Discussion about this post

Dr. Ben Nwoye’s Hiatus and Return: Fear Grips the Ousted APC Leadership in Enugu

BLACK SUNDAY: Islamic Terrorists attack Catholic Church, killing at least 34 Worshipers 

New Male Contraceptive Pill Tested

Dangote daughters take on growing leadership roles as billionaire tycoon steps back

Breakthrough HIV jab to be supplied to millions at knock-down price

Kidnapped Nigerian Catholic Priest Regains Freedom after 51 Days in Captivity

  • British government apologizes to Peter Obi, as hired impostors, master manipulators on rampage abroad

    1239 shares
    Share 496 Tweet 310
  • Maids trafficked and sold to wealthy Saudis on black market

    1065 shares
    Share 426 Tweet 266
  • Flight Attendant Sees Late Husband On Plane

    969 shares
    Share 388 Tweet 242
  • ‘Céline Dion Dead 2023’: Singer killed By Internet Death Hoax

    902 shares
    Share 360 Tweet 225
  • Crisis echoes, fears grow in Amechi Awkunanaw in Enugu State

    735 shares
    Share 294 Tweet 184
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

British government apologizes to Peter Obi, as hired impostors, master manipulators on rampage abroad

April 13, 2023

Maids trafficked and sold to wealthy Saudis on black market

December 27, 2022
Flight Attendant Sees Late Husband On Plane

Flight Attendant Sees Late Husband On Plane

September 22, 2023
‘Céline Dion Dead 2023’: Singer killed By Internet Death Hoax

‘Céline Dion Dead 2023’: Singer killed By Internet Death Hoax

March 21, 2023
Chief Mrs Ebelechukwu, wife of Willie Obiano, former governor of Anambra state

NIGERIA: No, wife of Biafran warlord, Bianca Ojukwu lied – Ebele Obiano:

0

SOUTH AFRICA: TO LEAVE OR NOT TO LEAVE?

0
kelechi iheanacho

TOP SCORER: IHEANACHA

0
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

WHAT CAN’TBE TAKEN AWAY FROM JONATHAN

0

Lesotho accuses US of unfair tariffs as textile sector reels under economic pressure

August 2, 2025

France under pressure to stop $9.7m of USAID contraceptives being destroyed

August 2, 2025

African leaders adopts Africa-led peace initiative for Congo conflict

August 2, 2025

Kemi Badenoch says she no longer sees herself as Nigerian despite upbringing

August 2, 2025

ABOUT US

Time Africa Magazine

TIME AFRICA MAGAZINE is an African Magazine with a culture of excellence; a magazine without peer. Nearly a third of its readers hold advanced degrees and include novelists, … READ MORE >>

SECTIONS

  • Aviation
  • Column
  • Crime
  • Europe
  • Featured
  • Gallery
  • Health
  • Interviews
  • Israel-Hamas
  • Lifestyle
  • Magazine
  • Middle-East
  • News
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • Russia-Ukraine
  • Science
  • Special Report
  • Sports
  • TV/Radio
  • UAE
  • UK
  • US
  • World News

Useful Links

  • AllAfrica
  • Channel Africa
  • El Khabar
  • The Guardian
  • Cairo Live
  • Le Republicain
  • Magazine: 9771144975608
  • Subscribe to TIME AFRICA biweekly news magazine

    Enjoy handpicked stories from around African continent,
    delivered anywhere in the world

    Subscribe

    • About Time Africa Magazine
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • WHO’SWHO AWARDS

    © 2025 Time Africa Magazine - All Right Reserved. Time Africa is a trademark of Times Associates, registered in the U.S, & Nigeria. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • WHO’SWHO AWARDS
    • Politics
    • Column
    • Interviews
    • Gallery
    • Lifestyle
    • Special Report
    • Sports
    • TV/Radio
    • Aviation
    • Health
    • Science
    • World News

    © 2025 Time Africa Magazine - All Right Reserved. Time Africa is a trademark of Times Associates, registered in the U.S, & Nigeria. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service.

    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.