Airlines: One of the most severely impacted sectors in the CrowdStrike outage was the airline industry. Major airlines worldwide, including Delta and Allegiant in the US, as well as airlines in France, Spain, Australia, and India, were forced to ground their flights. This led to significant disruptions in travel plans for passengers.
911 Calls: The outage also affected emergency call services, highlighting the reliance on Windows machines in this critical sector. In places like Alaska and Ohio, 911 services went down, prompting local authorities to provide alternative phone numbers for citizens to use. Interestingly, despite the outage, 911 remained functional in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city.
Hospitals: Medical systems around the world suffered as a result of the CrowdStrike update glitch. British hospitals faced difficulties accessing patient data, while New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center had to delay surgical procedures that require anesthesia. French hospitals faced issues with the check-in process, forcing employees to manually direct patients. However, Pittsburgh’s UPMC healthcare provider reported minimal disruptions.
Stock Markets: Surprisingly, the outage had a temporary impact on stock trading in some places. The London stock exchange had to delay the start of trading due to the outage. However, other stock markets like the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq remained unaffected, demonstrating the diversity of systems utilized by different companies.
TV Broadcasts: The global popularity of Windows made it inevitable that the CrowdStrike outage would affect TV networks. Sky News in the UK experienced downtime, while multiple TV channels in France were unable to display weather information for viewers. In the US, NBC News and MSNBC faced temporary problems due to the glitch, along with several local networks across the country.
Times Square: Even Times Square in New York City was affected by the CrowdStrike outage. The big screens displaying advertisements in the area run on Windows, leading to a temporary blackout on Friday morning.
The range of sectors affected by the CrowdStrike glitch highlights the widespread reliance on Windows machines for various critical operations. From airlines and emergency services to hospitals and stock exchanges, the outage caused significant disruptions. While some organizations managed to minimize the impact, others, like the airline industry, faced widespread grounding of flights. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining robust and resilient IT infrastructure in an increasingly interconnected world.
