A global IT outage has caused widespread disruption across multiple industries, including significant issues within the health-care sector in B.C.
The province’s Ministry of Health confirmed the disruption is impacting its networks and computers.
In a statement, the ministry said it has implemented “contingency plans” to ensure that health-care services remain operational, and patient care is not disrupted “to the best of our ability.”
It is urging people to contact their care providers Friday if they have questions about appointments or services.
The B.C. health system has been impacted by the global Crowdstrike disruption, which is impacting our networks and computers. We have implemented contingency plans to ensure that our services remain operational, and that patient care is not disrupted to the best of our ability. <a href=”https://t.co/KpEumFWuWN”>pic.twitter.com/KpEumFWuWN</a>
—@PHSAofBC
Local health authorities throughout B.C. have echoed the ministry’s message, acknowledging the widespread effects of the outage.
This comes after the global security firm CrowdStrike confirmed disruptions occurred when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows.
According to the company, their Falcon Sensor software is causing systems to crash, displaying the blue error screen known informally as the “blue screen of death.” The issue has sent systems into a recovery loop, preventing them from restarting and disrupting operations across various sectors.
Canadians are waking up to a global tech outage disrupting operations in multiple industries. Cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike’s Falcon Sensor software is causing Microsoft Windows to crash and display a blue error screen. Cybersecurity and tech analyst Ritesh Kotak explains how the outage is impacting devices subscribed to Crowdstrike and what mitigation actions Microsoft might be taking.
B.C. Emergency Health Services says its systems have not had any “significant impacts” but is continuing to monitor the situation.
The Canadian Bankers Association also says it has been “reviewing” the situation.
DownDetector, a website that tracks user-reported internet outages, recorded growing outages in services Friday morning at Scotiabank, the Royal Bank, Bank of Montreal, TD Canada Trust and other financial institutions.
“Canadians can be reassured that our country has a well-protected banking system. Any current impact on banking services would be temporary,” said the banker association’s media relations manager Maggie Cheung.
U.S.-bound flights affected: YVR
The outage has predominantly impacted U.S.-based carriers such as United Airlines and American Airlines, resulting in numerous cancellations and delays. Toronto-based Porter Airlines, which operates flights across Canada and to some U.S. locations, has also been affected, cancelling all flights until at least 3 p.m. Friday.
WestJet and Air Canada remain operational.
Long lines at <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/YVR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#YVR</a> this morning as airlines navigate mass <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Microsoft?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Microsoft</a> outage. Many flights delayed or cancelled. Some travellers being re-routed with other airlines. Airports across the globe dealing with this mess. <a href=”https://t.co/D7VzjbGk2T”>pic.twitter.com/D7VzjbGk2T</a>
—@1130Williams
According to Vancouver International Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been experiencing significant issues due to the outage, affecting some U.S.-bound flights from YVR.
YVR is urging travellers with U.S. itineraries to check their flight status with their airline before heading to the airport.
The Victoria Airport remains unaffected.
Meanwhile, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported a partial outage of its telephone reporting system, used primarily by small aircraft passengers and boaters, which has since been resolved. CBSA noted that no other systems are currently affected.
TransLink also confirmed that it has not experienced any service disruptions due to the outage.