Major systems failure
“There is no information to suggest that this is a cybersecurity incident,” the National Cybersecurity Coordinator said in a statement published on the X platform.
A technical problem, likely related to a software update by US cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, has led to computers running the Microsoft system crashing in Australia, although – as broadcaster ABC points out – similar phenomena have been reported in the United States and New Zealand.
In a crash, computers restart automatically or show an error message on a blue screen.
The global outage has affected a number of Australian businesses, government agencies and local media outlets, including the ABC and Sky News, which admitted that “everything that makes us function is down”.
“Thank you for contacting CrowdStrike Support. CrowdStrike is aware of reports of crashes in Windows (…) related to the Falcon sensor,” reads the message that is played when you try to call the company’s technical support team.
The Downdetector website, which checks real-time outages and disruptions for all types of services, is reporting issues with accessing the Foxtel digital platform and National Australia Bank and Bendigo Bank online banking.
Problems at airports
Melbourne Airport also said it was experiencing problems with check-in systems at some airlines. The glitch also affected Qantas check-in terminals at airports across the country, including Sydney and Canberra.
Passengers were advised to arrive at the airport early and monitor their flights for updates, adding that the situation could affect both domestic and international flights.
As ABC points out, the failure currently has no impact on the operation of the emergency services, police or other services.
Local media reported that a meeting of the National Crisis Mechanism group will be held soon. The Australian government is working closely with the National Cyber Security Coordinator in connection with this failure, it was assured.
Krzysztof Pawliszak (PAP)
