By CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-McLAY, ELAINE KURTENBACH, DAVID McHUGH and HALELUYA HADERO
NEW YORK — A faulty software update caused technological havoc worldwide on Friday, grounding flights, knocking media outlets offline, and disrupting hospitals, small businesses and government offices. The breadth of the outages highlighted the fragility of a digitized world dependent on just a few providers for key computing services.
The trouble with the update issued by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike affected customers running Microsoft Windows. It was not the result of hacking or a cyberattack, according to CrowdStrike, which apologized and said a fix was on the way.
Businesses and governments worldwide experienced hours-long disruptions — their computer monitors glowing blue with error messages — and scrambled to deal with the fallout.
Travelers stand in a line at Brussels International Airport in Brussels, Friday, July 19, 2024. A global technology outage grounded flights, knocked banks and hospital systems offline and media outlets off air on Friday in a massive disruption that affected companies and services around the world and highlighted dependence on software from a handful of providers. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)
Passengers wait at London Stansted Airport in Essex, amid reports of widespread IT outages affecting airlines, broadcasters and banks, Friday July 19, 2024. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)
Passengers queue up at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after a widespread global technology outage disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world, in Mumbai, India, Friday, July 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)
The logo of Microsoft is seen outside it’s French headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux, outside Paris, Monday May 13, 2024. Microsoft users worldwide, including banks and airlines, reported widespread outages on Friday, July 19, 2024 hours after the technology company said it was gradually fixing an issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A traveler at Los Angeles International Airport sits in a jetway for a delayed United Airlines flight to Dulles International Airport due to a widespread global technology outage disrupting flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Stefanie Dazio)
This shows a general view of a Great Northern railway train at Hunt’s Cross station in Liverpool, England amid reports of widespread IT outages affecting airlines, broadcasters and banks, Friday, July 19, 2024. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
Passengers walk at Victoria train station, in London, amid reports of widespread IT outages affecting airlines, broadcasters and banks, Friday July 19, 2024. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP)
Commuter disembark a Great Northern railway train at Hunt’s Cross station in Liverpool, England, amid reports of widespread IT outages affecting airlines, broadcasters and banks, Friday, July 19, 2024. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
Travelers at Los Angeles International Airport sleep in a jetway for a delayed United Airlines flight to Dulles International Airport due to a widespread global outage early Friday, July 19, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Stefanie Dazio)
Numerous passengers wait in front of a black display board at the capital’s Berlin Brandenburg Airport, in Schönefeld, Germany, Friday July 19, 2024, after a widespread technology outage disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world. (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)
Travelers wait for information in front of a departure board at Brussels International Airport in Brussels, Friday, July 19, 2024. A global technology outage grounded flights, knocked banks and hospital systems offline and media outlets off air on Friday in a massive disruption that affected companies and services around the world and highlighted dependence on software from a handful of providers. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos)
Travelers wait in line at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Baltimore, Friday, July 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Southwest Airlines planes can be seen on the tarmac at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Baltimore, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Spirit Airlines passengers wait in line amid delays at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Baltimore, Friday, July 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Cancelled and delayed flights are seen on a monitor at the Des Moines International Airport, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
A passenger looks at a departures monitor at the Des Moines International Airport, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Delta customer service representatives help delayed travelers as they wait in lines at Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport after software issues delayed flights globally, Friday, July. 19, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)
Delayed travelers wait in lines at Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport after software issues delayed flights globally, Friday, July. 19, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)
Delayed travelers wait in lines at Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport after software issues delayed flights globally, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)
Flight boards show delayed or canceled flights at Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport after software issues delayed flights globally, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)
Delayed travelers wait in lines at Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport after software issues delayed flights globally, Friday, July. 19, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)
Thomas and Narissa Rahn and their children Jaidon, left, and Jaxon, of El Paso, Texas, wait in line at the Delta terminal after their flight was cancelled, Friday, July 19, 2024, at Logan International Airport in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
People gather around the Porter Airlines check-in counter at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update affected computers running Microsoft Windows, causing a major internet outage. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Flight boards show delayed or canceled flights at Minneapolis/St. Paul International airport after software issues delayed flights globally, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)
Kaycee Friend, center, of Pendleton, Ore., waits in line at the Delta Terminal after her flight was cancelled, Friday, July 19, 2024, at Logan International Airport in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
A traveller looks up while talking on a cellphone as passengers wait in line for assistance at the Delta Terminal, Friday, July 19, 2024, at Logan International Airport in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
A “blue screen of death” is displayed instead of flight information at Chicago O’Hare International Airport after a software glitch caused widespread outages as reported by airlines around the world, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
A “blue screen of death” is displayed instead of flight information at Chicago O’Hare International Airport after a software glitch caused widespread outages as reported by airlines around the world, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
People wait in line at Chicago O’Hare International Airport after a software glitch caused widespread outages, flight delays and cancelations as reported by airlines around the world, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
People wait in line at Chicago O’Hare International Airport after a software glitch caused widespread outages, flight delays and cancelations as reported by airlines around the world, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
A Delta Air Lines jet leaves the gate, Friday, July 19, 2024, at Logan International Airport in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
People walk through Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update caused a major internet outage for computers running Microsoft Windows. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
People wait at Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto after a faulty CrowdStrike update caused a major internet outage for computers running Microsoft Windows, on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)
Passengers navigate Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Friday, July 19, 2024, as a major internet outage disrupts flights, banks, media outlets and companies across the world.(AP Photo/Ben Gray)
Tiffany McAllister and Andres Bernal try to rebook their flight to Iowa while at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Friday, July 19, 2024, as a major internet outage disrupts flights, banks, media outlets and companies across the world.(AP Photo/Ben Gray)
An employee helps a customer at a departure area for Spirit Airlines at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update caused a major internet outage for computers running Microsoft Windows. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
A person sleeps in the departure area for Spirit Airlines at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update caused a major internet outage for computers running Microsoft Windows. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Customers wait at a departure area for Spirit Airlines at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update caused a major internet outage for computers running Microsoft Windows. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Customers wait at a departure area for Spirit Airlines at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update caused a major internet outage for computers running Microsoft Windows. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Customers wait at a departure area for Spirit Airlines at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update caused a major internet outage for computers running Microsoft Windows. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Screens show a blue error message at a departure floor of LaGuardia Airport in New York on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update caused a major internet outage for computers running Microsoft Windows. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
A person checks flight schedules on the screen at a departure floor of LaGuardia Airport in New York on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update caused a major internet outage for computers running Microsoft Windows. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
A traveller lies on the floor at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Chicago, as a major internet outage disrupts flights, banks, media outlets and companies across the world.(AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
People wait in line at Chicago O’Hare International Airport after a software glitch caused widespread outages, flight delays and cancelations as reported by airlines around the world, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Error messages are displayed on screens at Chicago O’Hare International Airport after software issues delayed and cancelled flights globally, Friday, July 19, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Travelers stand in line at an American Airlines counter at Reagan National Airport on Friday, July 19, 2024, in Arlington, Va. A global technology outage caused by a faulty software update grounded flights, knocked banks and media outlets offline, and disrupted hospitals, small businesses and other services on Friday, highlighting the fragility of a digitized world dependent on just a handful of providers. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Shelly Suarez waits with her dog, Maxine, near the JetBlue counters at Reagan National Airport on Friday, July 19, 2024, in Arlington, Va. A global technology outage caused by a faulty software update grounded flights, knocked banks and media outlets offline, and disrupted hospitals, small businesses and other services on Friday, highlighting the fragility of a digitized world dependent on just a handful of providers. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Travelers stand in line at an American Airlines counter at Reagan National Airport on Friday, July 19, 2024, in Arlington, Va. A global technology outage caused by a faulty software update grounded flights, knocked banks and media outlets offline, and disrupted hospitals, small businesses and other services on Friday, highlighting the fragility of a digitized world dependent on just a handful of providers. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Porter Passengers wait at Toronto Pearson Airport on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update affected computers running Microsoft Windows, causing a major internet outage. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Porter Passengers wait at Toronto Pearson Airport on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update affected computers running Microsoft Windows, causing a major internet outage. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Porter Passengers wait at Toronto Pearson Airport on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update affected computers running Microsoft Windows, causing a major internet outage. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
A traveler sits near luggage at Terminal B of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas, on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a major internet outage disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies across the world early Friday morning. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Travelers wait in line at the TSA checkpoint at Terminal B of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Grapevine, Texas, on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a major internet outage disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies across the world early Friday morning. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Jenna Lyons rests her feet on her baggage while waiting in the ticketing area due to a flight delay at the Portland International Jetport on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald via AP)
A screen above the entrance to the baggage claim area displays a Microsoft error message on Friday, July 19, 2024 at the Portland International Jetport in Portland, Maine. (Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald via AP)
Signs are placed outside of the arraignment information room notifying the public of a system outage at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York Friday, July 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Pedestrians walk by blacked out screens due to a global technology outage, in Times Square, Friday, July 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
People walk by blacked out screens due to a global technology outage in Times Square, Friday, July 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Blacked out screens are seen in Times Square, Friday, July 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Blacked out screens are seen in Times Square, Friday, July 19, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Danielle Tuttle tries the door to a department of motor vehicles location to find it locked and the location closed due to an outage Friday, July 19, 2024, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Passengers check a departures board at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Phoenix. An overnight outage was blamed on a software update that cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike sent to Microsoft computers of its corporate customers including many airlines. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
An employee walks past rebooting arrivals and departures screens at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Phoenix. An overnight outage was blamed on a software update that cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike sent to Microsoft computers of its corporate customers including many airlines. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
A passenger walks past darkened arrivals and departures screens at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Phoenix. An overnight outage was blamed on a software update that cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike sent to Microsoft computers of its corporate customers including many airlines. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Passengers wait in the check-in line at Amercian Airlines at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Phoenix. An overnight outage was blamed on a software update that cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike sent to Microsoft computers of its corporate customers including many airlines. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Passengers wait in a check-in line at Southwest Airlines at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Phoenix. An overnight outage was blamed on a software update that cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike sent to Microsoft computers of its corporate customers including many airlines. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
A patron walks out of a Starbucks at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Phoenix. A global technology outage grounded flights, knocked banks offline and media outlets off air after a faulty software update disrupted companies and services around the world and highlighted their dependence on just a handful of providers (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Trucks sit parked at a FedEx shipping terminal due to a global technology outage, at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
American Airlines planes wait at gates at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Phoenix. An overnight outage was blamed on a software update that cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike sent to Microsoft computers of its corporate customers including many airlines. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
American Airlines planes wait at gates at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Phoenix. An overnight outage was blamed on a software update that cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike sent to Microsoft computers of its corporate customers including many airlines. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Passengers check departure screens at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Phoenix. An overnight outage was blamed on a software update that cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike sent to Microsoft computers of its corporate customers including many airlines. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
American Airlines planes wait at their gates at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Phoenix. An overnight outage was blamed on a software update that cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike sent to Microsoft computers of its corporate customers including many airlines. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
A passenger takes a nap inside a terminal at Harry Reid International Airport on Friday, July 19, 2024, after a faulty CrowdStrike update caused a major internet outage for computers running Microsoft Windows. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Passengers fill a terminal as flights are delayed due to a global technology outage at Harry Reid International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Travelers wait in Terminal 1 for check-in at Hamburg Airport, in Hamburg, Germany, Friday July 19, 2024. A widespread Microsoft outage disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world on Friday. (Bodo Marks/dpa via AP)
Passengers check departures and arrivals screens as flights are delayed due to a global technology outage at Harry Reid International Airport Friday, July 19, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
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Thousands of flights were canceled and tens of thousands were delayed, leading to long lines at airports in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Airlines lost access to check-in and booking services in the heart of the summer travel season.
Several local TV stations in the U.S. were prevented from airing the news early Friday, and some state and local governments reported problems at courts, motor vehicles departments, unemployment agencies, emergency call centers and other offices.
Affected hospitals had problems with appointment systems, forcing them to suspend patient visits and cancel some surgeries.
Alison Baulos said her 73-year-old father’s emergency heart surgery in Paducah, Kentucky was canceled Friday morning because of the tech outage, leaving her family scared and worried.
“So if anything happens, it would be as a result of not having the surgery this morning,” Baulos said in an interview. She said her father was waiting at Baptist Hospital to find out what will happen next. A phone message left with the hospital was not immediately returned.
Elsewhere, people experienced minor inconveniences, including trouble ordering ahead at Starbucks, causing long lines to form at some of the coffee chain’s stores.
A disturbing reminder of vulnerability
Cyber expert James Bore said real harm would be caused. “All of these systems are running the same software,” Bore said. “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.”
The head of Germany’s IT security agency, Claudia Plattner, said “we can’t expect a very quick solution.” A forecast for when exactly all systems will be up and running is difficult, but “it won’t be hours,” she added.
Travelers at Terminal 7 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Ramiro Del Toro, holding his son Ramses, 2, and fellow travelers wait in a long line at the United Terminal at LAX on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 6 at LAX make their way through long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 7 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 7 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Ramiro Del Toro, holding his son Ramses, 2, and fellow travelers wait in a long line at the United Terminal at LAX on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 7 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 6 at LAX make their way through long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 7 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 7 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 5 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 7 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 7 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 7 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 7 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 7 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Ramiro Del Toro, holding his son Ramses, 2, and fellow travelers wait in a long line at the United Terminal at LAX on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 5 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The Hurley Family and fellow travelers wait in a long line at Terminal 5 at LAX on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 5 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
The Hurley Family and fellow travelers wait in a long line at Terminal 5 at LAX on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Travelers at Terminal 5 at LAX wait in long lines because of a global technology breakdown on Thursday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Long lines snake around the Spirit Airlines counter in Los Angeles International Airport’s Terminal 5 early Friday, July 19, 2024, as a global tech outage grounded airlines and disrupted hospitals, banks and other computer-dependent tasks around the world. (Photo by Axel Koester/Contributing Photographer)
Travelers wait to check in and to drop their luggage at Los Angeles Internation Airport’s Terminal 5 on Friday, July, 19, 2024, as a global tech outage affected airlines and other services around the world. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
Shelly Suarez waits with her dog, Maxine, near the JetBlue counters at Reagan National Airport on Friday, July 19, 2024, in Arlington, Va. A global technology outage caused by a faulty software update grounded flights, knocked banks and media outlets offline, and disrupted hospitals, small businesses and other services on Friday, highlighting the fragility of a digitized world dependent on just a handful of providers. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Delta customers at the Los Angeles International Airport wait in long lines, many with canceled or delayed flights on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram, SCNG)
Travelers pass through TSA’s screening at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
A long line of travelers wait in a TSA line at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
TSA’s Amy Gonzalez informs travelers that lines are shorter at other terminals at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
Delayed travelers patiently wait for their flight at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
From left, Steven Early and Will Carlson patiently wait in a TSA line at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
A list of delayed and cancelled flights at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
Southwest’s Shawneen Parker assists travelers at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
United Airlines’ Oscar Santos assists travelers at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
United customers stand in a long line at the Los Angeles International Airport, with either canceled or rescheduled flights for tomorrow on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram, SCNG)
United customers stand in a long line at the Los Angeles International Airport, facing either canceled or rescheduled flights. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram, SCNG)
Delta customers at the Los Angeles International Airport wait in long lines, many with canceled or delayed flights on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram, SCNG)
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CrowdStrike said in a recording on its customer service line that the problem was related to “the Falcon sensor,” referring to one of its products used to block online attacks. The company says it has 29,000 customers.
In an interview on NBC’s “Today Show,” CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz apologized, saying the company was “deeply sorry for the impact that we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected by this, including our companies.”
“We know what the issue is” and are working to remediate it, Kurtz said.
Shares of the company, which is based in Austin, Texas, fell nearly 10% on Friday. Microsoft’s stock price fell more than 3%.
Though the outage’s impact could be felt far and wide, the forecasting firm Capital Economics said it was likely to have little impact on the world economy.
Cybersecurity experts said those affected by the outage also needed to be wary of bad actors reaching out claiming they can help. “Attackers will definitely prey on organizations as a result of this,” said Gartner analyst Eric Grenier.
Air travel delayed everywhere
Most airlines attributed the problems to their booking systems. Thousands of flights were affected in the U.S. alone, though by late morning on the East Coast airlines said they were beginning to mitigate problems and resume some service.
At Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, Sarah Schafer was delayed getting to her cousin’s 50th birthday party in Florida. She had been waiting for almost three hours with no indication of when her flight would be rebooked.
“I seem calm,” said Schafer, who was using a cane because of ankle injury. “But my angry side might come out.”
Airlines and railways in the U.K. experienced long wait times. And airports across Europe suspended landings or halted takeoffs for several hours due to difficulties in checking in passengers.
Saskia Oettinghaus, a member of the German Olympic diving team, was among those stuck at the Berlin Airport.
“We are on our way to Paris for the Olympic Games and now we are at a standstill here for the time being,” Oettinghaus said.
Other athletes and spectators traveling to Paris were delayed, as were their uniforms and accreditations, but Games organizers said disruptions were limited and didn’t affect ticketing or the torch relay.
Broadcasters go dark, surgeries delayed, ‘blue screens of death’
In Australia, national news outlets — including public broadcaster ABC and Sky News Australia — were unable to broadcast on their TV and radio channels for hours. Some news anchors went on air online from dark offices, in front of computers showing blue error screens. Internet and phone providers were also affected.
In the U.S., KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Missouri, aired Scripps News instead of local news until about 5:35 a.m., the stations said on its website. IT teams and engineers worked through the night to resolve the glitch, the station said. Other local stations owned by Scripps reported similar problems, though Scripps spokesman Michael Perry said in an email early Friday that 90% of stations were able to air local news.
Hospitals in different countries also reported problems.
Britain’s National Health Service said the outage caused problems at most doctors’ offices because appointment and patient-record systems were affected.
At Mass General Brigham, the largest health care system in Massachusetts, all scheduled non-urgent surgeries, procedures, and medical visits were canceled Friday because of the outage, according to a spokesperson.
Some international shipping was disrupted, too.
A major container hub in the Baltic port of Gdansk, Poland said it was battling problems. And at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, marine terminals were affected, although the outage didn’t cause significant disruptions.
“Basically, it’s been minimal impact overnight and we’re going to have to wait and see how these terminals come up over the next several hours,” said Phillip Sanfield, a spokesperson for the Port of Los Angeles.
Kurtenbach reported from Bangkok, McHugh from Frankfurt, and Graham-McLay from Wellington, New Zealand. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed.
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