CrowdStrike outage causes problems worldwide

The worldwide CrowdStrike outage affecting Microsoft Windows computers wreaked havoc on airlines Friday, but the outage has also caused problems for various other industries from the government to the media.

CrowdStrike said in a statement that the problem has been “identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed" and stressed that it was not the result of a hack or security breach.

“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack,” the company said.

The big three domestic airlines, American, United, and Delta, have resumed departures, but they have warned delays and cancellations will likely continue throughout the rest of Friday. The travel troubles come after the Republican National Convention concluded in Milwaukee on Thursday evening.

FlightAware data show eight flights have been canceled and 20 flights have been delayed departing the convention city Friday, with the website also showing more than 5,000 delays and nearly 2,000 cancellations for domestic flights. With the bevy of delays and cancellations, airports worldwide are crowded as airlines look to get back on track.

Banks, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, were affected by the outage, with the New Zealand bank Kiwibank tel l ing customers it was "aware of issues" that were affecting banks and businesses. Some customers in those two countries had reported being locked out of their accounts because of the outage. One grocery store in the United Kingdom said it could only take cash because of problems with electronic payments.

The outages have also affected hospitals globally, with Mass General Brigham in Boston canceling "all previously scheduled non-urgent surgeries, procedures, and medical visits" for Friday due to the outage.

Several television stations across the globe also had difficulties broadcasting because of the outage. NBC4 in Washington and Sky News in the United Kingdom were among those that had troubles airing live news. ESPN was unable to air SportsCenter on Friday morning, while Get Up was able to air on the network without graphics or b-roll.

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The federal government was not immune from the outages, with the Social Security Administration closing its offices Friday due to the outage, while other agencies were also reporting problems.

The White House said that President Joe Biden, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, has been briefed on the outage and "is in touch with CrowdStrike and impacted entities," according to a pool report.