Computer Update Hits Systems In Maine And Worldwide Causing Issues

Be gentle with your IT folks today. Thanks to a computer update that didn't go quite as planned, they've been working overtime.

According to Forbes:

"A CrowdStrike update is breaking computers running Windows, causing them to crash and display the blue screen of death. Across industries, companies around the world haven’t been able to reboot, according to reports... The IT outage has affected airports, businesses, and broadcasters... Planes have been grounded in the U.S., trains in the U.K. are impacted, as well as boarding scanners at Edinburgh airport in Scotland."

In Maine, we're getting reports from local schools and municipalities that they've been experiencing similar issues.

The City of Bangor put up a notice on their social media saying they are limited in what they can do today, because of the IT issue.

"Many municipal services are currently unavailable due to the widespread Microsoft outage. The City is unable to process payments, registrations, etc.
Emergency services remain operational."

A little while later, they updated the post saying most of the issues had been restored.

Bangor International Airport issued a similar statement saying the outage has impacted flight travel, across the board, because at least one carrier is having problems with their online systems.

"Airlines around the world are impacted by an extensive technical issue this morning. Flights at BGR are impacted, so please plan for extended wait times, flight changes, and/or cancelations. We know that delays are an inconvenience, but please extend kindness to your fellow passengers, airline ticket counter staff, and gate agents, as well as your flight crews. We're all in this together!"

Folks at BIA mentioned that the FAA is monitoring the issue, which directly impacted U.S. Airlines, with several other airlines asking for assistance with similar problems.

They are advising those traveling by air today to expect delays, monitor airlines through mobile apps, and have patience with the situation.

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It seems some folks were spared this technological headache. The Maine Department of Administrative & Financial Services released this statement earlier in the morning, saying that at the state level, things were still operating smoothly.

"Following reports of a widespread technology outage causing service disruptions around the globe, the State of Maine’s Office of Information Technology (MaineIT) reports it has detected no disruption to State of Maine systems or services at this time. MaineIT will continue to monitor State of Maine systems and services throughout the day."

What happened and what are they doing about it? Here's what the top dog, George Kurtz, CEO of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike told the Today show.