A significant technology disruption on Friday led to flight cancellations, banking systems going offline, and media outlets being taken off air. The widespread outage affected businesses and services globally, underscoring reliance on software from a limited number of providers. According to cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, the cause of the outage, although severe, was not attributed to a security breach or cyberattack. Governor Phil Murphy released a statement saying, “I have been briefed on the global technology outage involving CrowdStrike software and Microsoft operating systems, which has grounded flights, disrupted banks, and slowed the work of businesses and critical services including 911 call centers.”
Airports in our region, including Newark Liberty, LaGuardia, JFK, and Philadelphia cancelled dozens of flights. Travelers are being asked to check flights online before leaving for the airport. Governor Phil Murphy says he’s monitoring the situation and has put emergency measures in place. He said, “We activated our State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) as of 3:00 a.m. in response to these disruptions and have provided guidance to relevant executive branch agencies on how to address the situation. We are also engaging county and local governments, 911 call centers, and utilities to assess the impact and offer our assistance.
NJ Transit trains are operational, albeit with delays and cancellations. The global cyber issue has not impacted train services. However, some of NJ Transit’s Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) have been affected. Companies like Microsoft and General Motors are seeing disruptions.
Murphy said, “I’ve asked my senior team, including Director of the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness Laurie Doran, New Jersey State Police Superintendent Colonel Pat Callahan, and Chief Technology Officer Chris Rein to provide additional updates during the course of the day as the situation evolves.”
