Global technology outage impacts flights, health care systems in Michigan

• A global technology outage delayed flights Friday at Detroit Metro Airport and disrupted computers at Corewell Health, the state’s largest health care system
• Some banks and infrastructure have also been impacted by the outage 
• The cause was a defect in a routine software update, according to the Texas-based CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm

A massive global technology outage Friday has disrupted computers at several hospitals, police phone lines and operations at Detroit border crossings.

The confusion began Friday as computer systems throughout metro Detroit were updated by a global cybersecurity company, CrowdStrike.

Officials stated that the software system caused Microsoft Windows to crash.

Windsor police warned of long delays at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and Ambassador Bridge early Friday, advising residents to avoid them.  

Related: Cyberattack on Ascension Michigan, other sites, began with ‘honest mistake’

But unlike the massive cyberattacks that have hobbled health care recently, Friday’s disruption was not the result of an intentional attack, according to Austin-based CrowdStrike, the global cybersecurity company.

"This is not a security incident or cyberattack," George Kurtz, CrowdStrike’s CEO said in a statement on social media early Friday morning. “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.”

The company called it a “defect found in a single content update,” and its website offered steps for technology repair.

In Michigan, the update glitch snarled phone lines at some local government offices and even the Michigan Department of Corrections, at least for a time. At the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, it disabled online chats and phone calls with agents. 

Meanwhile, flights were delayed across the U.S.

DTW’s McNamara Terminal is a madhouse as Delta is a complete standstill due to worldwide security issues.

All flights are grounded going & coming. It’s chaotic as there’s only 1 line for people to check bags. Nearly all computer check-in terminals are down. @wxyzdetroit pic.twitter.com/TAq5Wr0mSV

— Ryan H. Marshall (@RyanHMarshall) July 19, 2024

Delta Airlines posted on social media just before 9 a.m. Friday that some flights had resumed following the cyber outage and the  company was offering a travel waiver to customers affected. 

“The FAA is closely monitoring a technical issue impacting IT systems at U.S. airlines. Several airlines have requested FAA assistance with ground stops until the issue is resolved,” according to the agency’s social media post.

The outage has also affected some Michigan residents’ ability to access government services, mainly through call centers, the state Department of Technology, Management at Budget wrote on a social media post. 

Health systems, again

Corewell Health, the state’s largest health system, Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan and Trinity Health, the national health care system which includes Trinity Health Michigan, all reported problems.

Corewell, the result of a 2022 mega merger between Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health, said only that “many of our computers and systems are affected” and that “some procedures and appointments might be delayed.”

Michigan Medicine “experienced  technical issues in some areas, and there may be delays in trying to connect with our services,” according to a statement.  A spokesperson clarified that phone lines and patient portals were affected.

“It was limited in scope … There’s no impact on patient safety,” said Trinity Michigan spokesperson Bobby Maldonado.

At Traverse City-based Munson Healthcare, the disruption also was generally behind-the-scenes — limited to the ability to schedule appointments, for example, said spokesperson Brian Lawson.

Patients would notice “limited, if any” disruption, Lawson said.

But the problems appeared spotty. 

Detroit Medical Center was not impacted, for example, and neither were Michigan’s four Bronson hospitals, representatives from both hospitals told Bridge Michigan. Neither was OSF Healthcare in the Upper Peninsula effected, even as Marshfield Clinic Health System, which serves part of the U.P. was.

And it was unclear whether Ascension, the victim of a cyberattack in May that crippled operations nationwide for weeks, was impacted. A spokesperson did not return several messages.