London, United Kingdom | By Michael Wandati | A major worldwide IT outage has impacted numerous institutions, including major banks, hospitals, media outlets, airlines and businesses, disrupting their operations and services.
The disruption has led to the grounding of flights across the globe, with many airlines experiencing delays and cancellations.
In the United States, emergency services in Alaska have been affected, while supermarkets in Australia face significant operational challenges.
Additionally, several media outlets worldwide are grappling with system failures, including Sky News in the UK, which was temporarily off the air.
Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and is investigating, though it has reported that most services have been restored. A Microsoft spokesperson indicated that the outage might be linked to a problem at a cybersecurity firm, but there is no evidence of a malicious attack.
Earlier in the day, Microsoft issued a service update on X, stating that they were investigating problems affecting access to various Microsoft 365 applications and services.
Despite these reports, a Microsoft spokesperson informed the Kampala Dispatch that “the majority of services have been restored.”
In Australia, where the impact has been particularly severe, a representative from the home affairs ministry suggested that the issue might be linked to a problem at a cybersecurity firm. However, the country’s cybersecurity authority has indicated that there is no evidence of a malicious attack.
“Our current information is this outage relates to a technical issue with a third-party software platform employed by affected companies,” they said in a statement.
Officials in Alaska have reported significant issues with 911 and non-emergency call centers, although Australian authorities have confirmed that triple-0 call centers—the primary emergency contact in Australia—remain operational.
Social media users have noted difficulties in making payments at various stores, including the UK-based bakery and coffee chain Gail’s and Australia’s Woolworths supermarket.
Additionally, problems have been reported with accessing financial services, such as those provided by the National Australia Bank.
The global disruption has also severely impacted travel plans, affecting airlines, taxis, and rail services.
Also Read: Uganda hit by nationwide power blackout due to load rejection test
Major US carriers, including United, Delta, and American Airlines, have implemented a “global ground stop” for all flights.
Similarly, Australian airlines Virgin and Jetstar have been forced to delay or cancel flights, with disruptions also reported at airports in Berlin, Tokyo, and Delhi.
Today, approximately 110,000 commercial flights were scheduled worldwide. By 13:00 EAT, aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that 1,390 flights have been cancelled due to the ongoing IT outage.
Here’s a breakdown of cancellations by country, with updated UK figures expected soon:
- United States: 512 flights cancelled
- Germany: 92 flights cancelled
- India: 56 flights cancelled
- Italy: 45 flights cancelled
- Canada: 21 flights cancelled
In the UK, Govia Thameslink Railway has advised passengers to anticipate travel disruptions, and Black and White Cabs in Australia have acknowledged that their systems have been compromised by the outage.