A global malfunction Friday on Microsoft’s Windows operating system, apparently linked to the IT security firm CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform, caused worldwide outages at banks, airlines, news outlets, health systems and other organizations around the world.
“This is a worldwide issue on systems connected to a cybersecurity software, and not a local Israeli event,” Yoram HaCohen, who heads the Israel Internet Association told the Ynet news site.
HaCohen said that the problem appeared to be connected to a recent CrowdStrike software update, but cautioned it was too early to say “with certainty” that it was the product of a good-faith error rather than a malicious event.
In Israel, the Health Ministry said the outage impacted more than a dozen hospitals in Israel, including Shaare Zedek in Jerusalem, Laniado in Netanya, Barzilai in Ashkelon, Wolfson in Holon and a number of others, as well as the healthcare provider Meuhedet.
The affected hospitals were operating on a manual basis, as their digital services are inaccessible, the ministry said, stressing that patient care is not affected, and the hospitals are prepared for such an outage following drills.
The ministry also warned that Israelis could have trouble calling the country’s medical emergency line, and advised that people call the police instead if they couldn’t get through — but noted that there had been no problems on the line so far.
Pharmacies also reported problems receiving some prescriptions from state healthcare providers, the Haaretz newspaper reported.
