HOUSTON — A widespread CrowdStrike issue caused an outage that disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world Friday.
Escalating disruptions continued hours after the technology company said it was gradually fixing an issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services.
Around 5 a.m. Friday, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz posted to X.
"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."
Microsoft added to its thread on X that previously impacted Microsoft 365 apps and services have recovered and they are monitoring to make sure the issue is resolved.
At 10:05 a.m., Kurtz posted to X again.
"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 deliver the services their customers are counting on.
"As noted earlier, the issue has been identified and a fix has been deployed. There was an issue with a Falcon content update for Windows Hosts.
"For the latest information that we will continuously update, please refer to the CrowdStrike website (https://crowdstrike.com/blog/statement-on-windows-sensor-update/…), my posts on LinkedIn, and my posts on X. I will continue to provide updates to our community and the industry as they become available."
Social Security Administration offices closed
The Social Security Administration posted to X that its offices would be closed Friday due to technical outages. It also said some online services will not be available and wait times on their 800 line would be long.
Houston-area impacts
Several services and businesses in the Houston area were impacted by the global outage.
RELATED: Widespread technology outage disrupts flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world
Harris County Sheriff's Office assessing impact
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the outages are not impacting the agency's critical infrastructure. He said the 911 call system is still working.
Memorial Herman Health System briefly impacted
A spokesperson for Memorial Hermann Health System told KHOU 11 the outages briefly impacted its computer systems but did not impact patient care.
"Computers went down but restored in two hours. No impact on phones or patient care. Presently no issues, business as usual," Drew Munhausen, Sr. Media Relation with the hospital said in a statement to KHOU.
Harris Health impacted
At 11:28 a.m., Harris Health announced it is resuming appointments at outpatient and clinic sites. Elective hospital procedures remain canceled and impacted patients will be contacted to reschedule.
Dialysis services remained open at the Quentin Mease Health Center throughout the outages.
Houston Airports 'fully operational'
Both Hobby and Bush Airports report that they are "fully operational" but urge passengers to check their flight status before heading out.
Port Houston container terminals reopen
Port Houston's Barbours Cut and Bayport container terminals were briefly closed Friday morning but reopened at 9:25 a.m., the port posted on X.
The outage began Thursday evening and spread quickly through the rest of the world.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
