Worldwide Software Outage Affecting Central Minnesota

(KNSI) – A global technology outage is causing disruptions in central Minnesota.

The issue led to the St. Cloud Regional Airport canceling its Allegiant flight to Mesa, Arizona, on Friday. The Stearns County License Center is not able to process driver’s licenses, and the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office’s non-emergency number is also affected.

The issue has grounded flights, knocked banks offline and taken media outlets off air after a faulty software update disrupted companies and services worldwide. Hospitals and doctor’s offices had problems with their appointment systems and canceled surgeries.

Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said the update issue was affecting computers running Microsoft Windows. They said it was not a security incident or cyberattack. CrowdStrike says a fix was on the way. But hours later, the disruptions continued and escalated.

Long lines formed at airports in the U.S., including Minneapolis St. Paul International, after companies lost access to check-in and booking services at a time when many travelers are getting away on summer vacations.

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