Software giant Microsoft is experiencing outages that are affecting enterprises across the globe, including South Africa.
“We are aware of issue affecting a subset of customers. We acknowledge the impact this can have on customers, and we are working to restore services for those still experiencing disruptions as quickly as possible," a Microsoft spokesperson says.
"We're aware of an issue affecting Windows devices due to an update from a third-party software platform. We anticipate a resolution is forthcoming."
The Verge reports that thousands of Windows machines are experiencing a “blue screen of death” issue at boot today, impacting banks, airlines, TV broadcasters, supermarkets and many more businesses worldwide.
It notes that a faulty update from cyber security provider CrowdStrike is knocking affected PCs and servers offline, forcing them into a recovery boot loop so machines can’t start properly.
CrowdStrike is widely used by many businesses worldwide for managing the security of Windows PCs and servers.
Downdetector reveals a surge in users reporting problems at Microsoft since early Friday. According to the site, 57% of the users reported having issues with logging in, 29% are having challenges with connecting to the server, while 17% reported having issues with Sharepoint.
In South Africa, financial services firm Capitec has issued a statement regarding the outage, saying: “Due to an unexpected issue with an international service provider, we are currently experiencing nationwide service disruptions. Note: Card payments and Capitec ATMs are working and your account remains secure. We're resolving the matter ASAP. We apologise for the inconvenience.”
Globally, Reuters says the tech outage was disrupting operations in multiple industries, with airlines halting flights, some broadcasters off-air and everything from banking to healthcare hit by system problems.
According to the publication, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines and Allegiant Air grounded flights, citing communication problems.
The order came shortly after Microsoft said it resolved its cloud services outage that impacted several low-cost carriers, though it was not immediately clear whether those were related, adds Reuters.
According to an alert sent by CrowdStrike to its clients, the company’s “Falcon Sensor” software is causing Microsoft Windows to crash and display a blue screen, known informally as the “blue screen of death”.
According to Omdia senior director of cyber security, Maxine Holt, the global IT outage crisis is escalating, and organisations everywhere are in full scramble mode, desperately implementing workarounds to keep their businesses afloat.
She says Microsoft has pointed fingers at a third-party software update, while Crowdstrike admits to a “defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts” and is working feverishly with affected customers.
Omdia analysts say this is not a cyber attack, but it’s unquestionably a cyber security disaster, adding that cyber security’s role is to protect and ensure uninterrupted business operations.
“Today, on 19 July 2024, many organisations are failing to operate, proving that even non-malicious cyber security failures can bring businesses to their knees. The workaround, involving booting into safe mode, is a nightmare for cloud customers. Cloud-dependent businesses are facing severe disruptions,” says Holt.
She notes that Omdia’s cloud and data centre analysts have long warned about over-reliance on cloud services.
“Today’s outages will make enterprises rethink moving mission-critical applications off-premises. The ripple effect is massive, hitting CrowdStrike, Microsoft, AWS, Azure, Google and beyond.”
CrowdStrike's shares have plummeted by more than 20% in unofficial pre-market trading in the US, translating to a staggering $16 billion loss in value, she notes.
“Looking forward, there’s a shift towards consolidating security tools into integrated platforms. However, as one CISO starkly put it: ‘Consolidating with fewer vendors means that any issue has a huge operational impact. Businesses must demand rigorous testing and transparency from their vendors’.
“CrowdStrike's testing procedures will undoubtedly be scrutinised in the aftermath. For now, the outages continue to rise, and the tech world watches as the fallout unfolds.”
This story will be updated as events unfold.
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