Major IT Outage Disrupts Key Services Across Australia

Australia has been hit by a major IT outage disrupting banks, supermarkets, telecoms, media outlets, and airlines. The widespread disruption started on Friday afternoon, leaving many essential services inoperable.

Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator acknowledged the issue, stating, “Our current information indicates this outage relates to a technical issue with a third-party software platform employed by affected companies. There is no information to suggest it is a cybersecurity incident. We continue to engage with key stakeholders.”

Crowdstrike, an IT security firm, reported that Microsoft’s Windows operating system was crashing. This issue has caused chaos, with social media flooded with photos showing blank flight information screens at Sydney Airport and inoperable self-service checkouts at Woolworths and Coles.

Sydney Airport confirmed that flights are arriving and departing, but travelers should expect delays. “We have activated our contingency plans and deployed additional staff to our terminals,” the airport said in a post on X.

Melbourne Airport also reported disruptions, particularly in check-in procedures for some airlines. “Passengers flying with these airlines this afternoon are advised to allow a little extra time to check in. Please check with your airline for flight updates,” Melbourne Airport posted on X.

The incident highlights the dependency on digital infrastructure and the cascading effects when such systems fail. Authorities and affected companies are working to resolve the issue and restore normal operations as quickly as possible.