Here’s what happened during the world’s biggest IT outage

This is a developing story.

Several companies and organisations worldwide have been affected by the global IT outage this afternoon (Friday, 19 July)

According to several news reports, the disruption was linked to Microsoft’s Windows and apparently came from an issue at cybersecurity software firm CrowdStrike.

Here’s what happened so far:

Snaking queues filled Changi Airport

Upon arriving at Changi Airport at around 3.45 pm, CNA reported long lines of travellers waiting to check into their flights at Terminal 1. Self-check-in machines for several airlines, including Scoot and AirAsia, were down, and passengers were directed to in-person check-in counters to check in for their flights.

Some flights at Terminal 4 were reported to be re-timed, affecting a couple of AirAsia and VietJet Air flights.

According to a report by CNA, tensions grew among passengers at Terminal 1 at the seemingly never-ending lines. One passenger reportedly shouted, “I have been waiting for two hours!” before being assured by airport staff members that their Scoot flight would not leave without them.

Unfortunately, that passenger was ditched by the plane. Staff told her that the earliest flight was tomorrow to Kuala Lumpur, where she would have to drive to reach her initial destination, Ipoh.

(The staff member at the Scoot flight management counter) kept saying, ‘this is not our fault, this is not our fault. Nobody wants this’.

He said ‘that’s all we can do. Enough is enough. We are trying to help. Don’t disturb. That’s so bad.

It’s so frustrating. It’s been a nightmare.

Ms Tan speaking to CNA

On the other hand, Singapore Airlines shared that while currently flights are not affected, some services at its ION service centre and reservation hotlines are experiencing technical issues.

Customers who want to make new flight bookings or amend existing ones are advised to do so via SIA’s website or mobile app. Those who have non-urgent servicing requests are strongly advised to contact the airline later.

Media news outlets, SingPost, and some entities affected

According to a live blog by The Straits Times, user report website Downdetector.com showed a spike in outages on Microsoft 365, which had more than 150 reports from Singapore users at 2 pm.

Many Windows users complained that they encountered “the blue screen of death”, which indicated that their computer had run into a problem and had to be restarted.

At 4:38 p.m., customers using CDG Zig, ComfortDelGro’s ride-hailing app, were informed via a pop-up notification upon opening the app that payment methods such as PayLah, Nets, and Cabcharge are currently unavailable. They were also notified to use other payment methods instead.

At 5.19 pm, CDG Zig’s services went back online, offering a S$2 promo code for users.

Unfortunately, Singapore Post has yet to recover from the outage. The organisation posted an Instagram story at 4.12 pm, stating that they were experiencing “technical difficulties” due to the outage, adding that the team is working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

As of 6 p.m., a Singpost spokesperson told The Straits Times that a number of services, including its tracking system and international and domestic shipping platforms, had been affected.

Bill payments, self-service kiosks and label printing at POPStations are also temporarily unavailable.

However, deliveries, the POPStop app, POPStation collection, shop.singpost online platform, and services related to ICA and HPB remain unaffected.

Earlier this afternoon, homegrown news outlets Lianhe Zaobao and The Straits Times reported that they had been affected by the outage.

Global operations disrupted

Beyond Singapore, here are some big blows that the IT outage had on operations around the world:

1. Healthcare sector: Two hospitals in Thailand reported that some services might be delayed due to the outage. The National Health Service’s appointment system in England has been experiencing issues.
2. Malaysia’s railway operator KTMB confirmed its KITS ticketing system and customer service channels reported experiencing technical difficulties.
3. The London Stock Exchange Group platforms and transport operators were out of service.
4. Several banks and telecom companies went down in Australia.
5. 6 Indian airlines were affected by the outage.
6. 911 and non-emergency call centres affected in the United States

CrowdStrike CEO has since released a statement at 6.10 pm on X, stating that the outage was caused by a defect in a single content update.

Featured Image Credit: Reuters/CNN