Gatwick Airport, Sussex railway and NHS impacted by ‘mass worldwide IT outage’ – how the crisis hit Sussex

George Kurtz, the CEO of cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike, has been speaking with US broadcaster NBC News. He said the issue has been resolved but ‘it could be some time’ for some systems that ‘just automatically won't recover’.

He added: “We're deeply sorry for the impact that we've caused to customers, to travellers, to anyone affected by this, including our companies. It is our mission to make sure every customer is fully recovered.”

“We are aware of a global IT issue affecting many GP practices and pharmacies across the country. Some practices in Sussex are affected, and we are working with the surgery teams to resume full services soon as possible. If you have a booked appointment, please continue to attend as normal, unless you are told otherwise by your surgery.

“For urgent medical help, contact NHS 111 online at 111.nhs.uk or make a free call by dialling 111.”

Further updates will be shared on the NHS Sussex website: https://www.sussex.ics.nhs.uk/news/

According to aviation analytics company Cirium, 1,390 commercial flights have been cancelled across the world today (as of 11am).

Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO at AirHelp, said: “A massive IT outage worldwide has affected airports today, meaning staff are having to operate with manual systems with passengers facing longer waiting times and delays at check-in and boarding. 

In these circumstances, passengers must understand their rights and know what they can do when disruptions occur. As this disruption is out of the airline and airport's control, passengers are not eligible for financial compensation. They do, however, have the right to food and drink after a few hours, accommodation if they are delayed overnight or an alternative flight to their destination, under UK261, the United Kingdom’s air passenger rights regulation. If their flight is delayed by more than five hours, they are eligible for a full refund. 

Passengers should keep hold of all boarding passes and receipts for food, drink and accommodation, to help speed up the claims process. They can get in touch with AirHelp’s 24/7 online support team which can provide guidance and assistance.”

Crowdstrike, an American cybersecurity technology, has been blamed for the outage.

President and CEO George Kurtz said: “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website.

“We further recommend organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”

The BBC’s health editor Hugh Pym said the NHS is being ‘widely affected’, as issues have been reported with IT service desks; transport booking systems; radiology reporting; rostering systems; appointment bookings and the NHS app. He added: “The systems are not entirely down and not every hospital and/or patient is affected.”

A Jet2 spokesperson told our sister title NationalWorld: “We are aware of a large-scale IT outage which is affecting some computer systems. Whilst our systems are not directly affected, some airports and third parties across our network are. As a result, there may be operational disruption in some airports, including at check-in and boarding.

“We are continuing to monitor the situation and will keep customers updated, including via our website. Currently, all flights are due to depart as scheduled and our teams are present to assist customers.”

A TUI UK and Ireland spokesperson said the airline is ‘aware of the situation’ and is ‘working hard to resolve the issues’.

A spokesperson said: “Due to a global IT glitch affecting Windows computers and servers, TUI’s overall service level is impacted today. This outage also applies to partner systems like the automated check-in process at airports or cruise ports. TUI and its partners are aware of the situation and are working hard to resolve the issues. In the meantime, most of our processes can be covered manually. If you are due to travel with TUI today, we ask for your patience and understanding.

“Please plan ahead, expect longer waiting times and regularly check the TUI App. Please also inform yourself about the current situation at your specific airport as the local situation might differ.”