Systems impacted by a global software outage are being brought back online but it could be days before all computers are fully updated.
The outage was related to a Microsoft Windows PC update rolled out by global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike which caused global disruption to aviation, banking and healthcare systems.
According to an alert sent by CrowdStrike to its clients, the company's falcon sensor software caused Microsoft Windows to crash and display a blue screen, which has begun to be referred to as the "blue screen of death".
CrowdStrike Chief Executive George Kurtz said in a statement on X (Twitter) that "the defect [was] found in a single content update for Windows hosts".
"This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed," Mr Kurtz said.
Today was not a security or cyber incident. Our customers remain fully protected.
We understand the gravity of the situation and are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption. We are working with all impacted customers to ensure that systems are back up and they can…— George Kurtz (@George_Kurtz) July 19, 2024
Ryanair was forced to cancel and delay flights throughout the day due to the problem, however the airline says online check-in is working again.
There were also earlier issues with the Leap Card top-up app and the TFI Live system, which have since been resolved.
US airlines including American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines have been grounded, while airports in Germany, Amsterdam and Spain are also reporting issues.
Businesses including banks, airlines, train companies, telecommunications companies, TV and radio broadcasters, and supermarkets have also been affected.
The outage affected Windows PCs globally, including at Sky News in the UK which was not able to broadcast on Friday morning.
Users on the subreddit for cyber security firm Crowdstrike reported issues in the UK, India, the United States and New Zealand.
Users in Australia began reporting issues early on Friday, stating they had been locked out of their workstations.
Microsoft Ireland offices in Dublin, 2-12-16. Image: Sam Boal/© RollingNews.ieNewstalk Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly told The Hard Shoulder it shows just how much we rely on all these systems.
"So many people were pushed to utilise services like they would back in the day," she said.
"In America the emergency response teams responding to 911 calls couldn't track the location of ambulances, fire brigades, police cars and so on.
"People who were trying to pay for their shopping in Woolworths in Australia couldn't do it with a card.
"Think of the poor gamers... people couldn't play their X-Box at 2am this morning - that's how disruptive this has been".
'One domino needs to drop'
Jess said the major outage shows how interconnected systems are.
"Only one domino needs to drop for all of this implication to happen," she said.
"In Belfast Airport they had a huge big whiteboard like you'd see in your seomra ranga and they had flight details written with a whiteboard marker.
"In India we had people on X posting a blank boarding pass written with biro.
"We've heard other instances of airports around the world where they simply couldn't scan boarding passes".
Jess said the outage shows the importance of cyber security but that we can "count ourselves lucky" it wasn't a hack or cyber attack.
Government Chief Information Officers met this morning to share information on the impact of the outage.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has also issued updated steps that affected organisations can take to recover.
It says a number of SMS scams are "attempting to take advantage of the situation" and is warning people to be vigilant.
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