Microsoft Outage Wreaks Havoc On Airlines, Banks, And Media; IT Minister Addresses Issue

A massive Microsoft outage unleashed havoc on computer systems across the world, leaving millions of users unable to access critical applications. The outage is possibly due to the failure of Crowdstrike Falcon, a cybersecurity platform that provides security solutions for Microsoft Windows. Major airlines, including American Airlines, Delta, SPICEJET, Indigo, Vistara, and Air India, were significantly impacted, causing widespread flight delays in India, particularly at Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Pune, and Mumbai airports. Booking and check-in services were disrupted, forcing airlines to resort to manual processes and advising passengers to arrive early. The global IT outage also crippled banks, stock exchanges, payment systems, and emergency services, leaving media organizations like Britain’s Sky News, Associated Press, and Australia’s ABC News unable to broadcast news. In response, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the government is in touch with Microsoft and its associates. The reason for the outage has been identified, and updates have been released to resolve the issue. The government clarified that the National Informatics Centre network was not affected. While IT engineers worked to minimize damage, cybersecurity experts warned of the far-reaching effects of such outages, especially if they persist for extended periods.