A global internet outage involving Microsoft disrupted banks, first responders, credit unions, flights, media outlets, and companies on Friday morning, July 19, 2024.
The outage grounded flights across the U.S., Australia, Europe, India, and other regions. Retail outlets, railway companies, and hospitals were also affected. Microsoft 365 issued a statement on platform X, saying the company was “working on rerouting the impacted traffic to alternate systems to alleviate impact” and that they were “observing a positive trend in service availability.”
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Local financial institutions were not spared. 1st Mid America Credit Union posted a service alert on Facebook: “Our branches are currently closed due to a service outage with Microsoft, a major software provider, and it is affecting our systems access. This is a non-security related incident. Online, mobile banking and ATMs are still accessible. Our phone system is down and our Member Support Center is not able to receive or make calls at this time.”
Airlines also faced significant disruptions. American Airlines commented Friday morning that it was aware of a "technical issue" with the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike "that is impacting multiple carriers.” United Airlines attributed delays in its flights to issues with "a third party," while Delta paused its global flight schedule due to a "vendor technology issue that is impacting several airlines and businesses around the world."
Law enforcement agencies experienced difficulties as well. Illinois State Police, St. Louis County Police, the Bond County Sheriff’s Office, and Wentzville, Mo., police reported computer issues. Clinton County, Illinois, noted some internal communication issues. Despite these challenges, St. Louis County police confirmed they had still been able to cover emergency calls for service.
The extent of the outage highlights the interconnected nature of modern digital infrastructure and its impact on a broad spectrum of services globally.
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