The Ministry of Foreign Affairs website faced technical issues that affected their document attestation service for nearly three hours. The global technical glitch also impacted other online services of the UAE Government, including authentication services. As a result, residents were advised not to make any transactions on the online portals until the issue was resolved. Other institutions like Dubai International Airport were also affected by the cyber outage, leading to temporary disruptions in their operations.
Flight operations from Dubai International Airport resumed swiftly after the system outage that affected the check-in process for some airlines. Etihad Airways reported normal flight operations but warned of limited delays across its network due to the global disruption. Emirates and Flydubai confirmed no delays in flight operations, but potential delays were expected later in the day. Airlines like Air Arabia and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi assured passengers of normal operations despite the global IT outage affecting the aviation sector worldwide.
The global system outage that impacted institutions worldwide stemmed from a bad update pushed by cybersecurity technology firm Crowdstrike. Crowdstrike, a global provider of security technology and services, specializes in identifying advanced threats and targeted attacks. The outage led to systems crashing and unable to recover, affecting several institutions’ operations, including banks and airlines. The potential reasons for the outage could be compatibility issues with the update or a malicious attack, according to tech experts.
Users are advised to remain vigilant against hackers while using their systems after the cyber outage episode. Crowdstrike’s widespread use in various institutions makes it crucial for users to safeguard their systems against potential threats. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of cybersecurity measures in protecting critical online services and data. The disruption caused by the outage highlights the need for robust cybersecurity practices and strategies to prevent similar incidents in the future.
