Fix found after Gulf airlines and passengers impacted by global IT outage

Update Air passengers across the Arabian Gulf, including at Dubai Airport (left, top right) and around the world faced delays, cancellations and problems checking in as airports and airlines were caught up in a massive IT outage caused by an defective update to CrowdStrike software (bottom right). (Screenshot/X/Reuters/AFP)
Air passengers across the Arabian Gulf, including at Dubai Airport (left, top right) and around the world faced delays, cancellations and problems checking in as airports and airlines were caught up in a massive IT outage caused by an defective update to CrowdStrike software (bottom right). (Screenshot/X/Reuters/AFP)
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Updated 20 July 2024
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Fix found after Gulf airlines and passengers impacted by global IT outage

Fix found after Gulf airlines and passengers impacted by global IT outage
  • A faulty update or misconfiguration by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike had led to international tech outages
  • Cybersecurity agencies said there was no information to suggest the outage was a cyber attack

DUBAI: Air passengers across the Arabian Gulf and around the world faced delays, cancellations and problems checking in as airports and airlines were caught up in a massive IT outage that also affected industries ranging from banks to media companies.

The travel industry was among the hardest hit with airports around the world, including Tokyo, Amsterdam, Berlin and several Spanish airports reporting problems with their systems and delays.

In Saudi Arabia’s capital city Riyadh, King Khalid International Airport reported disruptions on some flights, prompting authorities to set up a plan to use alternative systems.

The airport urged passengers to contact airlines before heading to the airport.

Saudi airline, flynas, apologized and reported disruptions in some flights, which led to take-off delays and slow online services.

“The airline is currently working with the service provider and all concerned parties to fix the issue and provide alternative systems to ensure that operations resume as soon as possible,” flynas said in a statement.

“We also apologize to our guests for the confusion caused by this global outage that is beyond our control. We thank them for their understanding of this emergency circumstance. 

“We affirm flynas’ commitment to preserving the rights of travelers and compensating them in accordance with the Customer Rights Protection Regulations of the General Authority of Civil Aviation,” it added.

The operator of Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest airports and hub of Emirates airline, said on Friday the airport was operating normally again after a global system outage affected the check-in process of some airlines.

Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority issued a statement early Saturday saying that the impact of the outage to the Kingdom had been limited, adding that the authority has put in place exceptional measures to monitor threats and cyber risks and to respond to any cyber incidents if they occur.

Dubai Airports said in a statement the outage had impacted some airlines operating from terminals 1 and 2 but that the check-in process had been switched to an alternative system, which allowed normal processes to swiftly resume.

Flydubai, which operates out of Terminal 2, said that its operations had not been impacted.

Etihad Airways, which operates from Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport, similarly said it was operating normally but that there could be limited delays across its network.

In a statement, a spokesman for Wizz Air Abu Dhabi said the company was monitoring closely the ongoing situation with IT outages due to a third-party provider affecting the aviation sector worldwide.

“We advise that all passengers arrive at the airport at least three hours before their scheduled departure time. 

“Our teams are working closely with the relevant stakeholders across our network to ensure a seamless travel experience for all our passengers. Thank you for your patience and co-operation.”

And Kuwait International Airport said some flights had been impacted by the outage.

Carriers, media companies, banks and telecoms firms around the world reported on Friday that system outages were disrupting their operations.

A spokesperson for the Dubai-based national carrier Emirates said they were aware of the global IT disruption and are monitoring the situation closely.

“At this time, there has been no impact on Emirates’ flight operations,” she added.

But warned: “There may be delays to some flight timings later today, due to knock-on effects from delayed departures from some airports around our network.”

“Customers can check our website and app for the latest flight information, and are advised to update their contact details on their booking.”

In a statement released on social media platform X, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said some of its systems had been impacted by the outage.

“Please be informed of a global technical issue that has affected some of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ electronic systems, including MoFA’s attestation service. We advise users to refrain from conducting any transactions until this issue is resolved,” the statement read.

International airlines, including Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline by passenger numbers, warned of problems with their booking systems and other disruptions.

The Saudi Data & AI Auhthority confirmed it had not been affected by the outage.

In a statement posted on X it said: “SDAIA confirms that its systems and the national systems hosted by it in the Kingdom are not affected by the technical failure that struck most countries of the world today.”

In a statement, Crowdstrike holdings said it was actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for windows hosts. “Issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed,” the statement said.

According to an alert sent by Crowdstrike to its clients and reviewed by Reuters, the company’s “Falcon Sensor” software was causing Microsoft Windows to crash and display a blue screen, known informally as the “Blue Screen of Death”.
The alert, which was sent at 0530 GMT on Friday, also shared a manual workaround to rectify the issue.

FASTFACT

Who are CrowdStrike?

The vast cybersecurity company does business globally, selling software and investigates major hacks. The company also helps run cybersecurity investigations for the US government. Most notably the company investigated the Russian hack of Democratic National Committee computers during the 2016 US election.

The Swiss Federal Office for Cyber ​​Security (BACS) confirmed that a faulty update or misconfiguration by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike had led to international tech outages. “The BACS is aware of the outages mentioned and has received corresponding reports from various companies and critical infrastructures,” the BACS said in a statement.
“A faulty update or misconfiguration by CrowdStrike is leading to these system outages. The BACS is in contact with the companies affected.”

However, cybersecurity agencies said there was no information to suggest the outage was a cyber security incident.

The office of Australia's National Cyber Security Coordinator Michelle McGuinness and France’s cybersecurity agency said there was no evidence that a global IT outage was caused by a cyberattack.

“The teams are fully mobilised to identify and support the affected entities in France and to understand... the origin of this outage,” the national cybersecurity agency (ANSSI) said, adding “There is no evidence to suggest that this outage is the result of a cyberattack.”
The outages rippled far and wide, wreaking havoc on global computer systems. Microsoft users worldwide, including banks and airlines, reported widespread outages, hours after the technology company said it was gradually fixing the issue which affected access to Microsoft 365 apps and services.

The UAE foreign ministry said the global cyber outage had affected some of its electronic systems and it advised users to avoid any transactions till the issue has been resolved. It urged citizens abroad to contact their airlines before heading to the airports to avoid delays.

The UAE’s Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority issued a statement, warning Crowdstrike users of a “technical issue” with the “software update.”

“We advise users of the program to hold off on any updates or downloads of CrowdStrike software until the issue is resolved.”

 

Major travel disruptions

Major US air carriers including Delta, United and American Airlines grounded all flights early on Friday over a communication issue, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

“All... flights regardless of destination” were grounded due to the “communication issues,” the FAA said in a notice to airlines.

The UK’s largest rail franchise was facing “widespread IT issues” on its four train lines said, warning of possible cancellations.
“We are currently experiencing widespread IT issues across our entire network”, the four lines operated by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) posted on X.

Other transport systems across the UK and Ireland faced similar IT issues, with Ryanair experiencing disruption due to “a global third party IT outage”.

British airports including London Luton and Edinburgh warned of longer waiting times for passengers because of the glitch, while Sky News television was temporarily off air.

Passengers at Britain’s Edinburgh Airport were unable to use automated boarding pass scanners, and monitors at security displayed a message saying “server offline”, a Reuters witness reported.

Edinburgh Airport was checking boarding passes manually, the witness said.

A health booking system used by doctors in England was also offline, medical officials said on X on Friday.

The global outage was not being treated as a malicious act, a UK government security source said.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said security experts were not treating it as a cyber-related security issue.

Similarly, passengers at Dusseldorf airport are facing disruptions to Eurowings’ check-in and boarding processes due to the malfunction.

Hong Kong Airport Authority said airlines affected by a Microsoft outage had switched to manual check-in and flight operations have not been affected.

Three Indian airlines announced disruptions to their booking systems on Friday, matching widespread technical problems reported by flight operators around the world.

“Our systems are currently impacted by a Microsoft outage,” budget carrier IndiGo said in a post on social media platform X, with airlines Akasa Air and SpiceJet also reporting technical issues.

Turkish Airlines cancelled 84 flights after the IT outage, while Air France said it also suffered IT disruption, but not at Paris airports.

Spanish airport operator Aena on Friday also reported a computer systems “incident” at all Spanish airports which may cause flight delays.

“We are working to solve it as soon as possible. Meanwhile, operations are continuing with manual systems,” the airport operator said in a post on X platform.

In Berlin, airport authorities have halted all flights until 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) due to a technical fault, a spokesperson said.

Earlier on Friday, airport operator BER said in a post on social media platform X that check-ins were delayed due to the error.

The spokesperson did not give details about the nature of the problem.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, was also affected by the global cyber outage, a spokesperson said.

“The outage has an impact on flights flying from and to Schiphol,” he said, adding that it was not yet clear how many flights were affected.

The outage also wrought havoc on IT systems across Australia on Friday, with the country’s national broadcaster, its largest international airport, and a major telecommunications company reporting issues.

Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator said the “large-scale technical outage” was caused by an issue with a “third-party software platform.”

National broadcaster ABC said its systems had been crippled by a “major” glitch.

Photos posted online showed large queues forming at Sydney Airport, which said some airline operations and terminal services had been affected.

Some self-checkout terminals at one of the country’s largest supermarket chains displayed error messages.

Telecommunications firm Telstra also said some of its systems had been disrupted.

Major companies report outage

The website DownDectector, which tracks user-reported Internet outages, recorded growing outages in services at Visa, ADT security and Amazon, and airlines including American Airlines and Delta.

Microsoft 365 posted on X that the company was “working on rerouting the impacted traffic to alternate systems to alleviate impact in a more expedient fashion” and that they were “observing a positive trend in service availability.”

Australian outages reported on the site included the banks NAB, Commonwealth and Bendigo, and the airlines Virgin Australia and Qantas, as well as Internet and phone providers such as Telstra.

News outlets in Australia — including the ABC and Sky News — were unable to broadcast on their TV and radio channels, and reported sudden shutdowns of Windows-based computers.

With Agencies


French rail unions threaten to strike ahead of Christmas

French rail unions threaten to strike ahead of Christmas
Updated 3 sec ago
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French rail unions threaten to strike ahead of Christmas

French rail unions threaten to strike ahead of Christmas
The unions are demanding a moratorium on the dismantling of Fret SNCF and protesting against the terms and conditions for opening up regional lines to competition
Industrial action at SNCF has repeatedly disrupted travel during school holidays

PARIS: Trade unions at France’s railway operator SNCF on Saturday called for an indefinite strike from next month that could disrupt train services during the upcoming Christmas holidays.
The unions are demanding a moratorium on the dismantling of Fret SNCF, the freight division of the national rail operator, and protesting against the terms and conditions for opening up regional lines to competition.
In a joint statement to AFP, the CGT-Cheminots, Unsa-Ferroviaire, Sud-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots unions said the action would begin on December 11.
The unions also reiterated their call for shorter strike action from November 20 to November 22.
Industrial action at SNCF has repeatedly disrupted travel during school holidays.
In February, train controllers went on strike during a holiday weekend, leaving 150,000 people stranded. A Christmas strike in December 2022 affected some 200,000 holidaymakers.
In 2023, the European Commission announced an in-depth investigation into whether France breached EU rules on state support by subsidising the freight division of SNCF.
The French government launched a restructuring process which will see France’s top rail freight company disappear on January 1, 2025 and be replaced by two separate companies, Hexafret and Technis.
The plan was negotiated by the French government and the European Commission to avoid a reorganization procedure that could have led to the outright liquidation of the company, which employs 5,000 people.
In their statement, the trade unions “reaffirm that a moratorium is possible and necessary to allow the various players to get back to the table and find ways of guaranteeing not only the continuity of Fret SNCF, but also its development over the longer term.”

UK’s Queen Camilla to miss events as Kate returns to public life

UK’s Queen Camilla to miss events as Kate returns to public life
Updated 14 min 5 sec ago
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UK’s Queen Camilla to miss events as Kate returns to public life

UK’s Queen Camilla to miss events as Kate returns to public life
  • A palace spokesperson said: “While this is a source of great disappointment to The Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home“
  • The events are being closely watched as they are set to see Catherine, Princess of Wales, take a major step in her recovery from cancer

LONDON: Queen Camilla, the wife of Britain’s head of state King Charles III, will miss two of the most important dates in the royal calendar this weekend because of a chest infection, Buckingham Palace said Saturday.
The 77-year-old will skip Saturday evening’s Festival of Remembrance commemorative concert and Sunday’s ceremony at the Cenotaph war memorial, events that honor Britain’s war dead.
“Following doctors’ guidance to ensure a full recovery from a seasonal chest infection, and to protect others from any potential risk, Her Majesty will not attend this weekend’s Remembrance events,” a palace spokesperson said.
“While this is a source of great disappointment to The Queen, she will mark the occasion privately at home and hopes to return to public duties early next week.”
British media reported that there had been no downturn in Camilla’s condition, and that she was mindful of minimizing the risk of passing any lingering infection to others.
The events are being closely watched as they are set to see Catherine, Princess of Wales, take a major step in her recovery from cancer as she attends her first major royal occasion since ending chemotherapy.
In March, the palace announced that Kate, as she is widely known, had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy.
The shock announcement came after the palace had announced the previous month that Charles had been diagnosed with an undisclosed cancer and would withdraw from public life to undergo treatment.
Both have since made limited returns to public duties, but Charles — who recently toured Australia and Samoa, — is still undergoing treatment.
Catherine, 42, said in September that she had completed her chemotherapy and was looking forward to undertaking more engagements “when I can.”
Charles, 75, will lead the royal family at the commemorative events, which will also be attended by his eldest son Prince William, heir to the throne and husband to Catherine.
Senior royals traditionally attend the solemn wreath-laying at the monument near parliament alongside political leaders, current and former members of the armed forces, including war veterans.
William said this week that the past year had been “brutal” and probably the “hardest” of his life because of the twin diagnoses.
“Honestly, it’s been dreadful,” he told reporters on Thursday at the end of a four-day visit to South Africa for his Earthshot prize initiative.
“So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.”
Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday that Camilla, who accompanied Charles on his Australia and Samoa tour, had been forced to postpone her engagements for the week with a chest infection.
It added that her attendance at the weekend events would be subject to medical advice nearer the time.


One of 8 migrants sent to Albania returned to Italy

One of 8 migrants sent to Albania returned to Italy
Updated 31 min 37 sec ago
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One of 8 migrants sent to Albania returned to Italy

One of 8 migrants sent to Albania returned to Italy
  • The Egyptian man was diagnosed with “psychic problems,” which made it impossible for him to remain at the Gjadër reception center
  • Currently only seven migrants – five from Bangladesh and two from Egypt – remain at the Albanian center

ROME: One of the eight migrants brought for processing in an Albanian center after being intercepted in international waters has returned to Italy after being deemed “vulnerable,” a delegation of Italian activists and lawmakers visiting the center said on Saturday.
The Egyptian man was diagnosed with “psychic problems,” which made it impossible for him to remain at the Gjadër reception center, one of the activists said. Currently only seven migrants – five from Bangladesh and two from Egypt – remain at the Albanian center.
The group represented the second transfer of migrants since two processing centers started operating in October under a deal sealed between Italy and Albania. Human rights groups and nongovernmental organizations active in the Mediterranean have slammed the agreement as a dangerous precedent that conflicts with international laws.
The agreement allows up to 3,000 migrants intercepted by the Italian coast guard in international waters each month to be sheltered in Albania, and vetted for possible asylum in Italy or be sent back to their countries.
Italy has agreed to welcome those migrants who are granted asylum, while those whose applications are rejected face deportation directly from Albania.
The first group of 16 migrants from Bangladesh and Egypt was transferred to Albania on Oct. 16. Four were taken to Italy the same day because they were minors or had health issues. Twelve others were brought back to Italy three days later, following a ruling by Rome judges who rejected their detention because their countries of origin weren’t safe enough for them to be sent back.
The court ruling had shortened the list of countries considered “safe” by law, meaning that Rome can repatriate migrants from those countries who didn’t win asylum using a fast-track procedure. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni slammed the decision, noting that deeming countries such as Bangladesh and Egypt unsafe means that virtually all migrants would be barred from the Albania program.
On Oct. 21, Italy’s far-right government approved a new decree aimed at overcoming those judicial hurdles that risked derailing the contentious five-year migration deal with Albania.
A decision by Rome judges on the detention of the seven migrants currently in Albania is expected for Monday.


Heat, air pollution, disease: How climate change affects health

Heat, air pollution, disease: How climate change affects health
Updated 09 November 2024
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Heat, air pollution, disease: How climate change affects health

Heat, air pollution, disease: How climate change affects health
  • The latest round of UN climate summit begin next week during what is expected to be the hottest year in recorded history
  • The COP29 talks will be held in Azerbaijan as the world continues to emit increasing levels of planet-heating fossil fuels

PARIS: Record-breaking heat, extreme weather events, air pollution and the spread of infectious disease: climate change poses an already vast yet rising threat to the health of humans around the world, experts warn.
The latest round of UN climate talks begin next week during what is expected to be the hottest year in recorded history — and in the shadow of climate skeptic Donald Trump’s re-election as US president.
The COP29 negotiations will be held in Azerbaijan as the world continues to emit increasing levels of planet-heating fossil fuels, even as many nations have been lashed by devastating floods, droughts, heatwaves and storms.

Volunteers use poles and canes to search for victims in a paddy field in the Albufera national park near Catarroja, following devastating flooding in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain, on November 9, 2024. (AFP)

“Climate change is making us sick, and urgent action is a matter of life and death,” the World Health Organization warned this week.
Here are some of the ways that global warming affects health.
The EU’s climate monitor said this week that 2024 is “virtually certain” to surpass last year to become the hottest year in recorded history. It is also expected to be the first year that is more than 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average.
Out of 15 ways that climate change impacts health being tracked by experts as part of The Lancet Countdown, 10 have now “reached concerning new records,” according to the group’s latest report.
The number of over-65s who died from heat has risen by 167 percent since the 1990s, just one of the recent all-time highs, the report said.
Extreme heat leads to numerous health risks such as kidney disorders, strokes, adverse pregnancy outcomes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, organ failure and ultimately death.

This photograph taken on November 6, 2024, shows Ryan Dikan navigating his piraga past exposed portions of the rocky riverbed as droughts affect the Maroni river level, hindering navigation, near the town of Apatou, in French Guiana. (AFP/File)

Jeni Miller, executive director of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, said “this year has underlined the growing impacts of a warming climate on people’s health and wellbeing.”
She pointed to extreme heat leading to 700 deaths and more than 40,000 cases of heat stroke in India, “climate-exacerbated” rains causing a dam to collapse in Nigeria killing 320, and 48 out of 50 US states “experiencing moderate or worse drought.”
Spain is meanwhile still recovering from its deadliest floods in a generation, while parts of the United States and Cuba are picking up the pieces after recent hurricanes.
Droughts, floods and other extreme weather events are also expected to hit global crops, leading to rising hunger in many regions.
Almost all — 99 percent — of the world’s population breathes air that exceeds the World Health Organization’s guidelines for air pollution.
This pollution has been found to increase the risk of respiratory diseases, strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes and other health problems, posing a threat that has been compared to tobacco.
Almost seven million premature deaths a year are linked to air pollution, according to the WHO.

People walk along a street amid smog in Lahore on November 2, 2024. (AFP/File)

Just last week, Pakistan’s second-biggest city Lahore recorded air pollution at 40 times the level deemed acceptable by the WHO.
In better news, the Lancet Countdown report found that deaths from fossil fuel-related air pollution fell by nearly seven percent from 2016 to 2021, mainly due to efforts to reduce pollution from burning coal.
The changing climate means that mosquitoes, birds and mammals will roam beyond their previous habitats, raising the threat that they could spread infectious diseases with them.
Dengue, chikungunya, Zika, West Nile virus and malaria are all mosquito-borne diseases that could spread wider in a warming world.
The transmission risk of one dengue-spreading mosquito has risen by 43 percent over the last 60 years, according to the Lancet Countdown. A new global record of over five million dengue cases was recorded last year.
Storms and floods create stagnant water that are breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and also increase the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhea.


Dutch government investigating possible missed warnings from Israel following riots

Dutch government investigating possible missed warnings from Israel following riots
Updated 09 November 2024
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Dutch government investigating possible missed warnings from Israel following riots

Dutch government investigating possible missed warnings from Israel following riots
  • Dutch police say four people remain in custody of the 63 people initially detained

AMSTERDAM: The Dutch government is investigating if possible warning signs from Israel were missed in the events leading up to this week’s assaults on Israeli football fans, Justice Minister David van Weel said in a letter to Parliament.
“An investigation is still being conducted on possible warning signs from Israel,” Van Weel said in his letter late on Friday evening.
At least five people were injured during the assaults on Thursday night and treated in hospital. All were released later on Friday. The incident concerned fans of the visiting Maccabi Tel Aviv football team.
Police on Saturday said four people remained in custody of the 63 people initially detained.
“The Public Prosecution Service has stated that it aims to apply fast-track justice as much as possible,” Van Weel said, adding that it is “the absolute priority” to identify every suspect.
He said the investigation would also examine whether the assaults were organized, with an antisemitic motive.
Political leaders have already denounced the attacks as antisemitic. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on Friday he was “horrified by the anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli citizens” and had assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone that “the perpetrators will be identified and prosecuted.”
Israel sent extra planes to The Netherlands to bring fans home, but a Dutch government spokesperson could not immediately confirm how many people made use of this.
Videos on social media on what happened showed riot police in action, with some attackers shouting anti-Israeli slurs. Footage also showed Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans before Thursday evening’s match.
Amsterdam banned demonstrations through the weekend and gave police emergency stop-and-search powers in response to the unrest.
Antisemitic incidents have surged in the Netherlands since Israel launched its assault on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza after the attacks on Israel by Hamas militants in October last year, with many Jewish organizations and schools reporting threats and hate mail.