Live updates: Global technical outage hits airlines, banks, businesses

A global IT outage has affected major services around the world, disrupting public transportation, delaying international flights and limiting the operations of healthcare institutions and businesses.

Here’s what you need to know:

What is the cause of the malfunction? The outage appears to be at least partly caused by a software update Crowdstrike released to Microsoft Windows systems. The U.S. cybersecurity firm told customers Friday morning that engineers were addressing the issue, according to an advisory seen by CNN. The problem is specific to Falcon, which is designed to protect files stored in the cloud.

How long will the outage last? Microsoft said the “root cause” of the outage “has been resolved,” adding that residual impacts are still affecting some services. “We are implementing additional measures to provide relief,” the tech company said in a post on X. Some services have been restored, but others are still struggling with the disruptions.

Who is affected? Global banks, medical services and critical infrastructure are being affected by the outage. Medical service providers including the UK’s National Health Service and one of Europe’s largest health facilities in northern Germany, have been hampered by IT delays. Meanwhile, banks, broadcasting organizations And supermarkets In Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, ABC News and Sky News were among those affected.

Airlines hardest hit: Scenes of frustrated travelers filling the hallways of major airports emerged Friday as U.S. and other international airlines were forced to delay and cancel flights in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. There were about 110,000 scheduled commercial flights worldwide today, according to preliminary data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm shared with CNN. As of 6 a.m. ET, there were 1,390 canceled flights worldwide. That number is growing.

International response: The White House says it is “investigating” the disruption caused by Friday morning’s cyber outages. “We are aware of the incident and are investigating the issue and its implications,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson told CNN. Meanwhile, the British government held an emergency meeting to discuss the outage, Downing Street said, according to Britain’s PA Media news agency.