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Global IT outage: What we know so far about the Jersey impact

Global IT outage: What we know so far about the Jersey impact

Friday 19 July 2024

Global IT outage: What we know so far about the Jersey impact

Friday 19 July 2024


Flights and sailings from Jersey this morning have not been affected by a global IT outage which has hit airlines, media and banks around the world – but other sectors of the island have been hit.

Director of Jersey Cyber Security Centre has meanwhile urged Islanders to remain patient as "dozens of people are working hard to assess and resolve this issue".

And the latest government update from around 16:00 said there had been partial restoration of some IT services that failed earlier today in Jersey, but the GP administration system remains affected.

Social security payments, however, appear to be unaffected after a successful test run, following recovery of the global BACS system this afternoon.

Airlines and airports across the world have been disrupted leading flights to be grounded and significant delays for passengers, while channels such as Sky News and CBBC struggled to air.

Several banks and UK supermarkets, including Morrisons, also reported problems with their payment systems.

Users of numerous Microsoft 365 apps also encountered difficulties with using the apps.

Some islanders have reported difficulty with making payments at local supermarkets. Waitrose's Rue des Pres premises was reportedly only accepting cash payments, leading to queues at the nearby ATM.

CI Coop, however, was unaffected, according to CEO Mark Cox.

What's the latest update from Gov?

  • Family Nursing & Home Care are affected by the global IT outage. Clinics remain open. Essential and urgent home visits are being prioritised. If you do not receive an expected visit and have any concerns, please call 01534 443600
  • Services across Children's Services and CAMHS are unaffected, and appointments should be attended as planned
  • No reported major IT issues for Jersey Water, Jersey Electricity, Jersey Telecom, Island Energy or fuel providers
  • Emergency services responses are unaffected. In an emergency, please call 999, as usual
  • The hospital remains open and patients are advised to attend appointments as normal
  • Online ID systems such as JerseyMe and Yoti are currently unaffected
  • Online tax forms are currently unaffected

No outbound flights affected

Ports of Jersey said that no flights had been affected in Jersey but that a "knock-on effect on inbound flights is possible, as some airports are manually checking paper boarding cards".

World Duty Free is currently closed.

Image_2.jpg

Pictured: Islanders have been sharing images of the shuttered duty free shop at the Airport.

Ports said it was "continuing to monitor any impact" and that it had "updated digital screens around the Airport with information".

Harbour operations have not been affected, and sailings have operated as normal today.

Investigations underway

The Chief Minister previously said government was working to fully understand the impact to the island.

“Islanders may be aware of the global IT issues being reported in the media today," Deputy Lyndon Farnham said.

“Officials are currently investigating what impact may be felt here in Jersey and regular updates will be provided throughout the day as information emerges.”

Jersey's Cyber Security Centre (JCSC) explained that Microsoft 365 and a piece of software called Crowdstrike were at the heart of the global issues.

"A issue with Microsoft Office 365 has been resolved, but you may see ongoing effects," the JCSC explained.

"At the same time, an update to Crowdstrike (a market leading end point detection software) has caused all affected machines to stop functioning. If you’re trying to use affected machines this morning you’ll likely just see a blue screen.

A more recent update from Matt Palmer, JCSC's director, was released later this morning.

He said: "Both issues might seem far removed from our day-to-day lives, but we know they are affecting people in Jersey. Islanders who are travelling might experience disruptions at UK or other off-Island airports. Some on-Island GP surgeries and pharmacies are affected, and people attending today may experience delays or disruption.

"I would urge all Islanders to be patient: we know there are dozens of people working hard to assess and resolve this issue, and that staff in affected businesses will be doing their best to deal with the disruptions."

Surgeries impacted

JCSC's earlier update confirmed that some medical surgeries have been affected.

Their statement said: "We're aware that the two cyber incidents are having an impact on Jersey, including GP surgeries. You may experience some delays or disruptions if you have appointments today, and we ask that you please be understanding with staff."

Hospital still open

In a separate update, the Government says that the hospital "remains open and patients are advised to attend appointments as normal".

Customer and Local Services is also open.

ADVICE...

The Jersey Cyber Security Centre had this advice for individuals affected by the issues: 

"If you’re affected by the Microsoft Office 365 issue, it should now be resolved.

"If you’re affected by the issue with Cloudstrike, you can fix it, but it will take some time.

"For each affected machine, you’ll need to:

  • Boot Windows into Safe Mode or the Windows Recovery Environment
  • Open C:\Windows\System32\drivers\CrowdStrike directory
  • Locate the file C-00000291 and delete it
  • Start the computer normally 

"You’ll then be asked to provide your BitLocker key, so make sure that you have it to hand."

Their systems are unaffected and JCSC are still available to offer advice and guidance, either by phone (01534 500 050) or by email (incidentreports@jcsc.je).

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