Global tech outage disrupts air travel, health care, and shipping

A global technology outage caused by a faulty software update grounded flights, knocked media outlets offline, and disrupted hospitals, small businesses, and government offices on Friday, highlighting the fragility of a digitized world dependent on just a handful of providers.

The trouble with the update, issued by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, affected customers running Microsoft Windows. It was not the result of hacking or a cyberattack, according to CrowdStrike, which apologized and said a fix was on the way.

Businesses and governments experienced hours-long disruptions and scrambled to deal with the fallout.

Thousands of flights were canceled and tens of thousands were delayed around the world, leading to long lines at airports in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Airlines lost access to check-in and booking services in the heart of the summer travel season.

Several local TV stations in the U.S. were prevented from airing the news early Friday, and some state and local governments reported problems at courts, motor vehicles departments, unemployment agencies, and other offices.

Affected hospitals had problems with appointment systems, forcing them to suspend patient visits and cancel some surgeries.