A widespread Microsoft outage is affecting flights, banks, media, and companies worldwide this Friday, causing chaos and uncertainty. The company said it was gradually solving an issue that was affecting access to Microsoft 365 applications and services.
The company "is actively working with customers affected by a defect found in a single content update for Windows servers," explained CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz in a post on X.
The cybersecurity company CrowdStrike stated on Friday that the issues affecting companies worldwide were not caused by a security incident or a cyberattack.
Which areas are most affected by the computer blackout?
The website DownDetector, which monitors internet outages reported by users, recorded increasing outages in the services of Visa, the security system ADT, and Amazon, as well as in airlines, including American Airlines and Delta.
Microsoft 365 indicated on X that the company was "working to redirect affected traffic to alternative systems to alleviate the impact in a faster way" and stated that they were observing "a positive trend in service availability".
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comments. They also did not offer further details about the cause of the service outage.
Large crowds at airports
The issues reported by airlines and airports have continued to increase.
In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration indicated that the airlines United, American, Delta, and Allegiant had stopped their operations.
Airlines, railway companies, and television networks in the United Kingdom were experiencing setbacks due to computer problems. Among those affected were the low-cost airline Ryanair, the railway operators TransPennine Express and Govia Thameslink Railway, and the television network Sky News.
Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport explained on its website that the outage was having a "significant impact on flights" with origin and destination at the busy European air hub. The service disruption occurred on one of the busiest days of the year at the terminal, at the beginning of the summer holidays for many travelers.
In Germany, the Berlin airport indicated on Friday morning that "due to a technical failure, there will be delays in check-in", and stated that flights were suspended until 10:00 in the morning, but did not offer further details, according to the German news agency DPA.
At the Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome, some planes heading to the United States were experiencing delays while others were not affected.