CrowdStrike outage halts air, rail operations around Japan

CrowdStrike outage halts air, rail operations around Japan

The recent outage of CrowdStrike, a leading cybersecurity firm, has caused widespread disruptions to various industries worldwide, including air and rail transportation in Japan. The incident, which occurred on July 19, 2024, forced several companies to halt their operations, resulting in inconvenience for millions of travelers [1].

According to reports, CrowdStrike's outage affected several Japanese airlines, restaurants, railway, and theme park companies [2]. The disruptions caused by the outage varied from delays in flights to suspension of services altogether. For instance, at the capital's Berlin Brandenburg Airport in Germany, air traffic was suspended due to the outage [1]. Similarly, in Japan, passengers were left stranded at various railway stations, leading to long queues and delays [3].

The cause of the outage was not immediately clear. However, reports suggest that it may have been due to a technical glitch in CrowdStrike's cloud infrastructure [2]. The company's services are used by several organizations to protect their systems from cyber threats, and any disruption to its services can have a cascading effect on other systems [4].

The impact of the outage was felt not only in Japan but also in other parts of the world. For instance, in the United States, flights were delayed at several airports, and banks and media outlets experienced disruptions [1]. The global reach of CrowdStrike's services makes such disruptions a cause for concern, as they can have far-reaching consequences [4].

As of now, CrowdStrike has not provided an update on when its services will be restored. Travelers are advised to check with their airlines, railway companies, and other affected organizations for the latest information on the status of their services [3].

References:

[1] Associated Press. (2024, July 19). Numerous passengers wait in front of a black display board at the capital’s Berlin Brandenburg Airport. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/live/internet-global-outage-crowdstrike-microsoft-downtime

[2] TechCrunch. (2024, July 19). CrowdStrike outage: How your plane, train, and automobile travel may be affected. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/19/crowdstrike-outage-how-your-plane-train-and-automobile-travel-may-be-affected/

[3] Kyodo News. (2024, July 19). Japanese airlines, restaurants, railway and theme park firms hit in global tech outage. Retrieved from https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/07/de26206afbdb-japanese-airline-theme-park-railway-firms-hit-in-global-tech-outage.html

[4] ZDNet. (2024, July 19). CrowdStrike outage hits Microsoft Azure, disrupting services worldwide. Retrieved from https://www.zdnet.com/article/crowdstrike-outage-hits-microsoft-azure-disrupting-services-worldwide/