The UK’s busiest weekend saw thousands of flight cancellations due to the software upgrade, which caused a global IT outage.
Crowdstrike Update Affects Millions
A botched Microsoft Windows software upgrade that affected the operating system came from the US cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.
“Screen of Death” Experienced Globally
According to Reuters, many users faced the “blue screen of death,” which left them unable to start their computers.
8,5 Million Microsoft Windows Users Affected
The CrowdStrike upgrade affected as many as 8.5 million Microsoft Windows devices, and its effects were felt heavily in the aviation and medical industries.
The Outage Was Not a Security or Cyber Threat
CrowdStrike’s chief executive, George Kurtz, has expressed his sincerest apologies and reassured everyone that it was “not a security or cyber incident.”
No Hope for Recovery in Sight
The IT outage caused problems for UK airports and airlines over the weekend, and the air traffic control restrictions and severe weather forecast in parts of Europe destroyed hopes of getting back on track and recovering.
Airlines to Cover Meals, Hotels and Rescheduled Flights
All passengers who had disrupted flights to and from Europe on British or European airlines are entitled to be rebooked and have meals and hotels paid for by the cancelled airlines.
9000 Flights Cancelled Worldwide
According to the aviation analyst Cirium, over 9000 flights worldwide have been cancelled thus far, with 75,000 passengers grounded within two days in the UK alone.
Tui Hit Harder Than the Rest
The travel and tourism company Tui was hit harder than most UK airlines because the software malfunction directly affected their crewing system.
64 Tui Flights Cancelled
Tui had to cancel 64 flights to regain some manageability, which will cost the company millions and tarnish its reputation.
Tui Trying to Soften the Blow
Tui is Europe’s largest travel firm and has done its best to accommodate its customers during this time. It offers full refunds, vouchers for future travel, and options to switch to still-accessible holidays for its affected customers.
Tui Apologises for the Inconvenience
A spokesperson for Tui said, “Due to the global IT issue at airports and airlines around the world, TUI’s overall service level was heavily impacted, and we would like to apologise to everyone affected.”
“Imposter Accounts” on the Loose
CrowdStrike has warned people to be alert and aware of scammers who have used this outage as an opportunity to create “imposter accounts” to defraud travellers.
Hacker Fixes Calim to Be Crowdstrike
Hackers are bound to take advantage of this situation, and people are warned not to fall for software fixes claiming to be CrowdStrike.
Travellers Warned of Delays
Figures from the aviation analytics firm Cirium show that 408 flights to and from the UK were cancelled on Friday, and travellers were warned that recovery could take weeks.
Transport Secretary Informs That No Apparent Security Breach
Transport secretary Louise Haigh said that IT systems at airports were “back and working normally” and that there seemed to be “no known safety or security issues arising from the outage.”
Travellers Advised to Check Ahead of Time
Even though most systems are back online, travellers should check with providers ahead of time whether their scheduled flights are still on track, as delays and cancellations are still happening due to the backlog.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / IR Stone.