A massive IT outage caused by a cybersecurity update has left thousands of Brits stranded abroad as their flights home were cancelled. The update, launched by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, resulted in a ‘blue screen of death’ for PCs running Microsoft’s operating system. Around 8.5 million devices were affected, causing chaos in various industries.
Trains were cancelled, hospitals and GP clinics experienced disruptions, and airlines had to cancel flights, leaving many people stranded in their holiday destinations. Nearly 7,000 flights were cancelled worldwide, including 408 to and from the UK. CrowdStrike has since implemented a fix for the error, but full repairs may take some time.
Despite the chaos, the aviation industry is slowly recovering. Passengers affected by the delays are advised to be patient as they wait for their turn to fly home. London man Chris Shaw shared his experience of being stranded and the lack of information provided to passengers during the ordeal. Transport secretary Louise Haigh confirmed that airport IT systems are now back up and running normally.