UPDATE: Global tech outage disrupts airlines, businesses worldwide

A massive IT glitch linked to a software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike on Microsoft cloud computing services caused widespread disruptions Friday, affecting major airlines, media organizations, businesses, and police forces globally.

American, Delta, and United Airlines grounded flights, citing communication issues. Airports in Germany, Spain, and Australia reported delays, although American Airlines announced that, as of 5 a.m. ET that operations had resumed.

Locally, some utility companies and government websites are inaccessible. Fulton County is reporting that vehicle tags are unable to be processed, Georgia Power website is unable to process payments, and DeKalb County has announced that 911 should be used only for emergencies.

“Due to the Crowdstrike outage affecting the nation and some DeKalb County computers, residents are asked to call E911 only for emergencies. More information will be provided as it becomes available,” DeKalb County posted on X.

Fulton County reported that property tax payments and online property searches on the Tax Commissioner’s website were affected. The Fulton County Board of Health reported an inability to process e-WIC related requests.

MARTA reported its website, real-time service information, Breeze Mobile app, and online fare purchases are unavailable. Bus, rail, and streetcar services are operating normally. Real-time service information is still available on social media @MARTAservice and through its service alert system

The AJC has a list of local outages here .

The London Stock Exchange’s regulatory news service halted, and the UK’s National Health Service experienced system problems.

CrowdStrike confirmed the outage stemmed from a defect in a single content update for Windows hosts. “This is not a security incident or cyberattack,” the company stated. “The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.”

Microsoft reported fixing problems with its Azure Service and Microsoft 365 apps, though some services still experienced residual impact.

The outage affected various sectors, including broadcasting, with Sky News temporarily unable to air live.

This is a developing story.

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