Global internet outage causes havoc at MSP, forces local TV news off air

A global internet outage on Friday caused by multiple Microsoft servers going down is having a major impact airports, banks, hospitals and communications companies, with MSP Airport and local TV stations among those affected in Minnesota.

Crowdstrike, the cybersecurity software used by thousands of industries, said the outage was caused by a faulty content update for Windows 365 that saw servers around the globe shut down. Mac and Linux hosts do not seem impacted. 

"The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed." Crowdstrike.

The most visible impact of the outage can be seen at MSP Airport, where airlines including Delta, Sun Country and Frontier have canceled or delayed rafts of services, leading to huge lines at the airport, with many unable to check in.

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Delta has warned that flights may be delayed and cancelled all throughout Friday. Sun Country Airlines have also announced that additional cancellations are expected throughout the day due to its check-in systems not functioning, and employees are unable to rebook flights.

Other impact services include the following (list will be updated): 

• WCCO posted at 5:18 a.m. that the outage delayed the broadcast of its "This Morning" show and that it was working to resolve the issue and get on air "asap."
• The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office posted a statement indicating that the outage was also affecting emergency services, but said its communications facility is still functioning and there is no disruption to emergency response.
• Ramsey County says "many Ramsey County computers are down as a result, and certain services may not be available at this time."
• The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office posted a statement that due to the computer outages dispatchers may take longer in responding, but that its computers should be "back to normal operations" soon. 

Microsoft has since responded to the outage, writing on Twitter that "the underlying cause has been fixed, however, residual impact is continuing to affect some Microsoft 365 apps and services."

It is unknown as of now when Microsoft systems will become fully operational here in Minnesota.