Multiple companies are still dealing with the aftermath of a global IT outage that disrupted major industries worldwide, causing chaos in airports, medical facilities, businesses, and police forces. The issue originated from a sensor configuration update to CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform, which triggered a system crash and blue screen error on impacted systems. Although the problem was quickly resolved, Microsoft revealed that 8.5 million devices were affected, leading to economic and societal repercussions. U.S. airlines grounded flights, resulting in over 1,600 cancellations as of Saturday afternoon, with long lines of frustrated travelers at airports. The outage also impacted 911 services in Alaska, New Hampshire, and Plano, Texas, as well as medical facilities, causing surgeries and appointments to be canceled. Courts in Massachusetts and New York experienced disruptions, and banks in Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere reported issues with account access. The London Stock Exchange faced service disruptions, but trading continued unaffected. Starbucks had problems with its mobile order and pay features, which were later restored. Sen. Eric Schmitt called for a briefing on the issue from the Defense Department, which acknowledged the problem but did not provide details on network operations. The extent of the impact on global industries and the response from companies and government agencies highlight the vulnerability of critical services to IT outages and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures.
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