A range of global institutions — including major banks, media organizations and airlines — have reported a widespread IT outage affecting their operations.
Australia has been hit particularly hard: flights have been grounded, supermarkets experienced checkout chaos, and broadcasters were disrupted when autocue, graphics and other computer systems failed.
The U.S. state of Alaska also warned that its emergency services have been affected.
The cause of the outage remains unclear, though many affected organizations have linked the disruption to Microsoft’s PC operating systems and related services.
An official Microsoft 365 service update posted to X earlier in the day said, “we are investigating an issue that is affecting users’ ability to access various Microsoft 365 apps and services.”
A spokesperson for Australia’s interior minister said the outage appears related to an issue at the global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, and the country’s cyber security watchdog indicated there is no evidence to suggest the incident is an attack.
“Our current information is that this outage is related to a technical issue with a third‑party software platform used by affected companies,” the watchdog said in a statement.
Officials in Alaska reported that many 911 and non‑emergency lines were not functioning properly during the incident.
Australian telecom Telstra said the triple‑0 call centres — the nation’s primary emergency contact — were not impacted, and the company said it was working with other state emergency service providers to implement backup procedures.
At Sydney Airport, information disappeared from departure screens. In a notice to passengers in the domestic terminal, low‑cost carrier Jetstar said a “problem with Microsoft” prevented it from checking in or boarding passengers.
Virgin Australia also informed travellers that it had imposed a “complete ground stop” on flights.
Social media users reported long queues at Australian stores such as Woolworths as payment systems went down, and others reported difficulties accessing financial services, including accounts at the National Australia Bank.
Authorities and affected companies continue to investigate and restore services, and have urged the public to follow official channels for updates and guidance while backup measures are put in place.