A software update has resulted in worldwide IT chaos, causing cancelled flights, healthcare disruption and potential payroll problems. The firm responsible has apologised, but an industry expert warns it could take weeks to fix "blue screens of death" and endless loops.

Friday 19 July 2024 23:00, UK

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And hence, gradually and imperceptibly, a large proportion of the worlds companies came - mostly unbeknownst to their leaders - to be running the very same piece of software with direct access to the most privileged parts of their computers. 

And then all it took was a few lines of code and all of those machines were instantly dead - or rather, they faced the ''Blue Screen of Death''. 

A costly cautionary tale

Millions of people around the world have been unable to travel, to communicate, to transact. It may well transpire that it has put lives at risk, given it has affected many doctors ability to do their job. 

Perhaps the best thing that can be taken from todays chaos is that it might just serve as a cautionary tale which could make our computers that bit safer and more stable in the future. 

It might remind bosses that cyber security decisions are more than box-ticking exercises - and sometimes installing cyber security software can backfire. 

It reminds us how dangerous it is if everyone in the world is relying on the same provider. 

It reminds us about the need for redundancy - to have backup systems. 

It reminds us of the dangers of complexity. 

This probably wont come as much consolation if youre one of those people whose holiday plans have been disrupted or your business messed around by the IT outage today. 

But its something. 

The disruption caused by the outage has been truly global - here are just a few examples.

Brazil

Bradesco, one of the main banks in Brazil, notified its users via its app that digital services were unstable due to a global cyber outage, but its ATMs were working normally. 

Azul Airlines, a Brazilian low-cost airline, said its check-in systems were affected, causing occasional flight delays. 

Japan

South Africa

In South Africa, at least two major banks said they experienced service disruptions as customers complained they weren''t able to make payments using their bank cards at grocery stores and gas stations or use ATMs. Both said they were able to restore services hours later.  

Poland

We have some updated figures now on the number of cancelled flights.

As of 8pm, 167 flights scheduled to depart UK airports have been cancelled, aviation analytics company Cirium said.

This equates to 5.4% of scheduled departures, the firm said.

Some 171 flights due to land in the UK were cancelled.

Globally 5,078 flights, or 4.6% of those scheduled, have been cancelled.

The IT crash has been an "early wake-up call" for the prime minister, perhaps damaging his honeymoon period, says chief political correspondent Jon Craig.

The outage overshadowed Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressing the cabinet - the first foreign leader to do so in person since Bill Clinton, he says on our special programme, Crash: The Global IT Outage.

The government will have to take a "very critical look" at precautions for this type of issue.

Craig adds there is every chance there will be a COBRA meeting with ministers over the weekend.

"The prime minister will want to be better prepared for a crisis of this sort or a different sort in the future," he says.

"I''m sure there will be a big inquest after today and the PM will bang a few heads together."

This will happen again, science and technology editor Tom Clarke says on our special programme, Crash: The Global IT Outage.

Continual updates and fixes are required to keep systems safe from cyberattacks, he explains.

If they are to work, those updates must be pushed out globally and immediately - or else leave networks vulnerable.

"Really the answer is: People have to rethink the way they are going to manage when they don''t have access to their IT."

Much of everyday business needs to be connected, and backup systems are a question of cost, says Clarke.

Many shops and restaurants are cashless, but it may be time to think about "how do we revert to some other form of payment if we lose that".

Tune in soon for a special programme on the global IT outage, including the latest developments and analysis.

Crash: The Global IT Outage - will air on Sky News at 8pm.

It''s free to watch on TV and you can catch it on YouTube as well.

We''ll be covering the key moments right here.

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