Global IT Outage Hits Windows Devices, Airports Performing Manual Check-Ins

The world came screeching to a halt just hours ago. Could it be aliens? World War III? The Rapture?

Nah, it was a simple IT outage.

IT Outage Hits Changi Airport, Manual Check-in Required

On the afternoon of 19 July, devices running on Windows suddenly crashed or displayed the dreaded Blue Screen of Death.

Companies worldwide were affected by the devastating IT failure, including banks and train stations.

Airports around the world practically froze, unable to get their systems to work.

Among those affected was our pride and joy, Changi Airport. They put out an advisory at around 3:40 pm, saying that the check-in for some airlines was being managed manually.

“Changi Airport ground staff are providing assistance to passengers, especially those with an impending departure.”

#ADVISORY: Due to a global outage affecting IT systems of many organisations, the check-in process for some airlines at Changi Airport is being managed manually.

Changi Airport ground staff are providing assistance to passengers, especially those with an impending departure.

— Changi Airport (@ChangiAirport) July 19, 2024

For once, the people who check in five hours early are gloating about their good luck.

Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported long lines for passengers at Changi Airport with airlines like AirAsia, Jetstar, Scoot, and Cebu Pacific Air.

Those taking affected airlines who had checked in online were out of luck, being forced to manually check in as well.

The scene repeated itself in airports all around the world. Kuala Lumpur International Airport fell back on good old pen and paper for boarding passes and luggage tags.

Postal Services, News, and Football Among Those Affected

SingPost also experienced technical difficulties with several services due to the outage, including parcel tracking.

Elsewhere in the world, news stations like Sky News had their broadcast interrupted, and the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) experienced troubles with appointment systems.

Even minor services like football clubs’ ticketing systems and credit card checkout machines at supermarkets fell to the inevitable Blue Screen of Death.

Cash carriers stay winning.

IT Outage Caused by CrowdStrike Update

But what exactly happened to cause such worldwide troubles?

The answer lay with CrowdStrike, a major cybersecurity vendor. They told CNBC that an update resulted in the global IT outage.

CrowdStrike stated that they were rolling back the update to fix the issue.

The firm’s shares also took a 20% plunge in US premarket trading.

On the bright side, IT employees worldwide are probably eating well tonight.

A similar worldwide IT outage hit McDonald’s earlier this year, knocking out kiosks and requiring cash payment.