KUWAIT: Kuwait IT and cyber security watchdogs have reassured the public they are doing their best to deal with the global IT disruption that hit globally earlier in the day. This came in a joint statement by the Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA), the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT), and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) on Friday.
"We are constantly working, in coordination with local and international agencies, to understand the effect of this disruption and take the required measures to decrease its impact on digital infrastructure,” the statement said. "We assure people that our technical teams are working around the clock to follow up on developments and resume services as soon as possible,” it added. They urged the public to get adequate updates from official media sources and platforms and to avoid rumors and/or false information.
KBA reassures
Kuwaiti local banks have business sustainability plans for crisis response and recovery to curtail adverse impacts on digital infrastructure and banking services, reassured the Kuwait Banking Association (KBA) on Friday. In a press release, the KBA said that the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) was working closely with the KBA and local banks in a bid to address the aftershocks of the information technology outage that hit the world earlier in the day.
Earlier in the day, Microsoft Corp. announced that there was a glitch in its global public system, which led to technical problems at several airports in the United States and around the world. Microsoft said in a statement that this sudden glitch affected many applications and services, including operating systems such as Windows, disrupting operations in various sectors involving airlines, banks, and several media outlets.
DGCA’s plans and actions
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday said that plans and actions are in motion to handle the global outage of Microsoft services that affected airports globally, including Kuwait International Airport. DGCA official spokesperson Abdullah Al-Rajhi told KUNA that the outage had affected several flights worldwide. He indicated that there was coordination with Kuwait Airways, Jazeera Airways, and other companies operating at the international airport to manage the situation.
GCC concerted response
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Al-Budaiwi said Friday it is essential for the GCC member countries to exert joint efforts to address information technology challenges. Al-Budaiwi said in an X post that the Gulf bloc’s cybersecurity, e-government, and technical committees were working closely to defeat such challenges and ensure joint Gulf cooperation in order to keep Gulf digital assets intact.
The GCC chief underscored that technology is of paramount significance in all walks of life and at all levels amid the world’s ongoing major IT outage that has negatively affected public and private facilities across the world. Microsoft Corp. announced that there was a glitch in its global public system, which led to technical problems at several airports in the United States and around the world. Microsoft said in a statement that this sudden glitch affected many applications and services, including operating systems such as Windows, disrupting operations in various sectors involving airlines, banks, and several media outlets.
IT glitch impacts globally
The global IT glitch has thrown airlines, hospitals, banks, exchanges, and even emergency services offline in the United States. Moreover, over 1,400 flights into, out of, or within the United States had been canceled. The Federal Aviation Administration said it is closely monitoring a technical issue impacting IT systems at US airlines. "Several airlines have requested FAA assistance with ground stops until the issue is resolved,” it added.
CrowdStrike, the global technology firm, said a Microsoft update triggered the tech collapse. It assured that it was not a cyberattack but rather a glitch, and a fix was deployed. "CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted,” CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz wrote on his X account. "This is not a security incident or cyberattack.
The issue has been identified, isolated, and a fix has been deployed.” Kurtz referred customers to the support portal for the latest updates, adding that his company will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on its website. "We further recommend organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”
Microsoft Corp. announced that there was a glitch in its global public system, which led to technical problems at several airports in the United States and around the world. Microsoft said in a statement that this sudden glitch affected many applications and services, including operating systems such as Windows, disrupting operations in various sectors involving airlines, banks, and several media outlets. — KUNA