UAE residents were caught off guard on a Friday afternoon when shops suddenly switched to “cash-only” payments due to a global cyber outage affecting various sectors, including aviation and banking. This caused issues for those trying to make purchases, as card payments weren’t working and ATMs were also affected. Travellers faced flight delays due to the outage, adding to the chaos experienced by residents.
One Dubai resident shared their experience of being unable to pay for groceries at a local store due to the POS machine not working. Another resident had to pay cash for gas at a petrol station, highlighting the widespread impact of the tech issues. While some shops in Abu Dhabi were affected for a few hours, operations are reportedly back to normal now. Major retailers like LuLu Group were unaffected by the outage due to not using the affected software.
The global cyber outage also impacted online services of the UAE Government and Dubai International Airport, causing temporary disruptions. The issue was traced back to a bad update by a cybersecurity technology firm, Crowdstrike, affecting PCs and servers running their software. Travellers faced delayed flights, with one passenger’s journey to India being postponed due to the outage. UAE-based travel agencies also experienced challenges with booking tickets and updating fares.
Despite the widespread impact, delivery and ride-hailing service Careem reported no disruption to their operations. As businesses and individuals navigate the aftermath of the global cyber outage, it serves as a reminder of the importance of robust cybersecurity measures and backup systems to mitigate similar incidents in the future. Stay updated with the latest news and developments surrounding the cyber outage to stay informed on how it may affect daily activities and services in the UAE.
