Global Computer System Failures Disrupt Airlines, Banks, and Stock Exchanges

In a significant disruption, global computer systems failed on Friday, impacting services at airlines, banks, and the London Stock Exchange. The outage was triggered by issues with a widely used cybersecurity program and problems reported separately by Microsoft Corp. with its cloud services.

CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. warned that its Falcon Sensor threat-monitoring product was causing Microsoft’s Windows operating system to crash. This coincided with disruptions in Microsoft’s Azure cloud and 365 services. Microsoft acknowledged the issue and worked swiftly to restore services, anticipating a resolution soon.

“This is unprecedented,” said Alan Woodward, a professor of cybersecurity at Surrey University, emphasizing the substantial economic impact. The incident underscores the critical reliance on cloud technology and the need for robust backup systems.

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Major companies like McDonald’s Corp., United Airlines Holdings Inc., and the LSE Group reported issues, with KLM suspending most flights due to the outage. The incident, described as potentially the largest IT outage in history, highlights the vulnerabilities in the digital-dependent aviation sector and beyond.