Crowdstrike glitch 'could take weeks to fix' after system failure 'double whammy'

EXCLUSIVE: A widespread Microsoft outage disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world on Friday.

The ongoing IT outage that has struck dozens of companies around the world in recent hours could actually take weeks to fix, according to an expert.

Millions of people on multiple continents have had their plans thrown into chaos today followin update to a product from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike that has been impacting Windows PC.

Computer Care's director of technology Simon Pardo told The Express: "An IT failure double whammy has brought the world to its knees this morning, and the ongoing chaos will be costing businesses billions of pounds every hour.

"Two separate problems have struck at the same time, with issues hitting Microsoft’s 365 services, and an update from anti-malware product Crowdstrike that is pushing computers into a blue screen of death.

“Updates should always be thoroughly tested before they are pushed out to users, and it’s hard to know whether this is human error or a failure of process."

The outage has affected businesses operating with Microsoft services (Image: Getty)

He noted that while Microsoft services have been slowly returning online, the wider problem could leave businesses facing weeks of disruption.

Mr Pardo continued: "Unfortunately, there is not a huge amount you can do if your computer has the blue screen of death.

"Computer users will need to wait for their IT team to resolve the issue, and many people may need to work from their phone or use a pen and paper in the meantime.

“This is a wake-up call for all the companies that have been floored by this attack. Organizations need to urgently review their disaster recovery plans to make sure they can deal with such problems."

Cybersecurity experts have warned the ongoing outage highlights a "critical" weakness.

On Friday morning, major delays reported at airports grew, with most attributing the problems in booking systems of individual airlines.

In the U.S., the FAA said the airlines United, American, Delta and Allegiant had all been grounded.

Airlines and railways in the U.K. were also affected, with longer than usual waiting times.

With athletes and spectators arriving from around the world for the Paris Olympics, the city’s airport authority said its computer systems were not affected by the outage, but that disruptions to airline operations was causing delays at two major Paris airports. The Paris Olympics organizers said the outage affected their computer systems and the arrival of some delegations and their uniforms and accreditations had been delayed.

Martin Greenfield, the CEO of cybersecurity monitoring firm Quod Orbis, noted the issue exposed an "over-reliance on single-point solutions" that has left companies vulnerable.

Mr Greenfield said: "Whilst such threats can have huge impact, steps to prevention are often quite straightforward.

"Organizations must adopt a more holistic approach to their cyber resilience, implementing a multi-layered defence strategy that encompasses not just software solutions, but also robust policies, regular training, and proactive threat hunting.

"A key component of this approach should be continuous controls monitoring, which allows for real-time visibility into the effectiveness of security measures and rapid response to emerging threats."

Airlines, railways and television stations in the United Kingdom were being disrupted by the computer issues.

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