Around the world, flights are being grounded, hospitals have ceased certain operations and many organizations have had to shut down while they wait for a solution to a global technology outage.
The outage is being caused by a faulty update issued by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. It is impacting computers running Microsoft Windows around the world.
Contrary to what some initial reports were saying, CrowdStrike is assuring people that this is not being caused by a hacking incident or cyberattack.
On Vancouver Island, many organizations have been rendered tech-less because of this faulty update affecting their systems.
Island Health has released a short statement saying they have been impacted.
“Our primary concern is the continuity and quality of patient care,” wrote Island Health.
“We have implemented contingency plans to ensure that our health care services remain operational and that patient care is not disrupted to the best of our ability.”
They say updates will be available via their website, and if people have questions regarding healthcare appointments, they should call their healthcare providers.
Island Health also asked that people do not call the hospital switchboard over this issue.
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The Capital Regional District (CRD), also says they have been affected by the outage.
“Teams are working to assess the impact on services to the public,” said the CRD on X. “We will update you as more information becomes available.”
Additionally, Victoria International Airport (YYJ) has warned that some flights may be grounded or delayed, depending on the airline.
“The global IT outage has caused disruptions for some airlines,” said YYJ in a release.
“Passengers who think they may be affected should check with their airline for flight updates.”
Despite this outage impacting so many organizations, some have managed to remain unaffected by the outage.
Thus far, no WestJet, Air Canada or Pacific Coastal flights have been delayed or cancelled due to the outage.
BC Ferries have said they are not being directly impacted and most ferries will be sailing at their scheduled times.
The Clipper and Black Ball ferries have also managed to be unaffected.
George Kurtz, President and CEO of CrowdStrike posted on social media that the problematic issue is being worked on currently.
“We understand the gravity of the situation and are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and disruption,” Kurtz said in a post on X.
“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.”
More to come as updates become available.
