Airlines, banks and hospitals affected by global technology outage
UPDATE (4:29 PM): U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released a statement saying:
"U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is experiencing processing delays due to the global technology outage. While ensuring national and homeland security, we are working to mitigate impacts to our operations and are proactively working with our stakeholders to minimize the impact to international trade and travel. During this time, travelers at air and land ports of entry may experience longer than normal wait times. All CBP applications, including Automated Commercial Environment, CBP One, Simplified Arrival, and the Global Entry Mobile App, are operational. We will continue our work to restore our systems to full capacity and provide updates as they become available."
(CBS, KYMA/KECY) - A global technology outage has disrupted companies around the world, including airlines, banks and hospitals.
The cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike says the outage related to Microsoft cloud-based services was not caused by a security incident or cyberattack.
Long lines and confused passengers filled airports around the world, from Newark in New Jersey, to Pittsburgh and Chicago, even India and Hong Kong.
"We were hoping that when we got here, it would not be cancelled, but it is cancelled," said Tabitha Bird, an Atlanta passenger.
Thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says Delta, American, United and Allegiant Airlines were all grounded for a period.
The outage hit Australia particularly hard, closing down stores and forcing news outlets off the air for hours. It also affected IT systems used by the Paris Olympics' organizing committee.
The cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike says it was caused by a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows.
"We identified this very quickly and rolled back this particular content file. Obviously, many companies are impacted," said George Kurtz, CEO of Crowdstrike.
The problem caused airlines to lose access to check-in and booking services during this busy period of summer vacation.
"Airlines are starting to recover. But, there are going to be some pain points over the next 24 to 48 hours," said Nick Ewen, Senior Editorial Director of The Points Guy.
The outage highlights the world's dependance on software from a limited number of providers.
"It can cause cascading outages not just for the people who are direct CrowdStrike consumers but for those who rely on other people who rely on CrowdStrike," said Jamil Jaffer, Executive Director of the National Security Institute.
The Points Guy recommends if your flight was delayed or cancelled, to check with your airline and credit card company you used to book in case you're entitled to reimbursement for food or hotel stays.'re entitled to reimbursement for food or hotel stays.
Some hospitals and doctors were also affected by the outage including Britain's National Health Service which lost access to its appointment and patient record system.
