How long will it take for services to recover after the Microsoft IT outage?

Businesses and services worldwide are now gradually recovering from the IT outage that disrupted computer systems for hours this week. Among the hardest hit were businesses, banks, hospitals, and airlines, following the release of a faulty software update by cyber-security firm CrowdStrike, which affected Microsoft Windows systems.

The issue began on Thursday, impacting Windows users running CrowdStrike Falcon cybersecurity software, according to Microsoft. 

The full scope of the problem became evident by Friday morning. By Friday evening, the situation had improved in many regions, with airports reporting that while check-in and payment systems still faced issues, most flights were operating. Hong Kong International Airport, for instance, resumed normal operations, as reported by Chinese state media.

Although some airline services are resuming, operators anticipate continued delays and cancellations throughout the weekend. Businesses are also contending with backlogs and missed orders, which may take several days to resolve. 

Health services in Britain, Israel, and Germany experienced disruptions, leading to some cancelled operations. Meanwhile, JP Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the US, is working to restore service to its ATM machines.

Microsoft noted that multiple system reboots might be necessary, with some users reporting up to 15 reboots required to resolve the issue. Additionally, tech experts indicate that CrowdStrike’s fix must be applied individually to each affected device.

The incident is likely to prompt scrutiny over CrowdStrike’s role as a major player in the cyber-security market and the implications of having a few companies control such a critical part of the industry.

CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz said in an interview with the NBC network: “We’re deeply sorry for the impact that we’ve caused to customers, to travellers, to anyone affected by this, including our company. Many of the customers are rebooting the system and it’s coming up and it’ll be operational. It could be some time for some systems that just automatically won’t recover, but it is our mission… to make sure every customer is fully recovered.”