Microsoft breaks silence on mass IT outage which sparked global chaos
Microsoft 365 has issued an update on a major IT outage on systems worldwide, causing serious disruption that is affecting airlines, trains, broadcasters and banks
Microsoft 365 has released an update on the mass IT issue affecting systems worldwide.
Around the world, banks, supermarkets and other major institutions reported computer issues disrupting services, with some airlines warning of delays and some airports grounding flights. In the UK, Sky News has been knocked off air, while Britain’s biggest train country warned passengers to expect disruption due to “widespread IT issues”.
Overnight, IT giant Microsoft confirmed it was investigating an “issue” with its 365 apps and operating systems, and although it said it had recovered some services, warned that the issue was ongoing and users should expect “service degradation” according to a status page on its website.
“Our services are still seeing continuous improvements while we continue to take mitigation actions,” Microsoft said on X this morning. “We still expect that users will continue to see gradual relief as we continue to mitigate the issue.” It comes amid reports of widespread IT outages affecting airlines, trains, broadcasters and banks.
According to cyber security expert Troy Hunt, an IT issue at global cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike was causing much of the outage. Britain’s biggest train company has warned passengers to expect disruption due to “widespread IT issues”. Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) – parent company of Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Great Northern – issued an alert on the brands’ social media channels.
The message stated: “We are currently experiencing widespread IT issues across our entire network. Our IT teams are actively investigating to determine the root cause of the problem. We are unable to access driver diagrams at certain locations, leading to potential short-notice cancellations, particularly on the Thameslink and Great Northern networks.
“Additionally, other key systems, including our real-time customer information platforms, are also affected. We will provide additional updates when we can. In the meantime, please regularly check your journey before you travel.” GTR carries more passengers and has more trains and staff than any other operator in Britain." Meanwhile, train operator TransPennine Express (TPE) said: “Please be aware that some TPE stations and systems are having IT issues. Please purchase tickets on board if you are unable to do so in stations.”
Sky News has also been knocked off air online and issued a statement saying: “We apologise for the interruption to this broadcast. We hope to restore the transmission of Sky News shortly.” "While Ryanair warned of “potential disruptions across the network” due to a global third party system outage.
On the airline’s website, it posted: “Potential disruptions across the network (Fri 19 July) due to a global 3rd party system outage. Affected passengers will be notified and any passengers travelling across the network on Fri 19 July should check their Ryanair app for the latest updates on their flight. We advise passengers to arrive at the airport 3 hours in advance of their flight to avoid any disruptions. We regret any inconvenience caused to passengers by this 3rd party IT issue, which is outside of Ryanair’s control and affects all airlines operating across the network.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
