UAE responds swiftly to global cyber outage

A global cyber outage today briefly affected some UAE government services and check-in processes at Dubai International Airport (DXB). However, the UAE authorities responded quickly and effectively, minimizing disruptions.

Dubai International Airport also experienced a brief disruption to check-in processes at Terminals 1 and 2. Airlines efficiently switched to alternate systems, ensuring a swift return to normal operations. Passengers on Etihad Airways flights were reassured that their departures remained on schedule.

A Dubai Airports spokesperson said: “Dubai Airports confirms that Dubai International (DXB) is operating normally following a global system outage that affected the check-in process for some airlines in Terminals 1 and 2 this morning. The affected airlines promptly switched to an alternate system, allowing normal check-in operations to resume swiftly.”

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) temporarily suspended online transactions due to the global technical glitch impacting their electronic systems. Authentication services were among those affected. However, MoFA quickly issued a public advisory urging caution and confirming the issue would be resolved.
The UAE’s Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) proactively issued an alert regarding potential issues with Crowdstrike software updates. This prevented further disruptions within the country.

Many users running Microsoft Windows experienced an error known as the “blue screen of death” on Friday morning. This error is believed to be caused by a recent update from CrowdStrike software.

Vinod Kumar, Dubai