Following a major outage which wrought havoc on global computer systems on Friday, Microsoft has said it was taking “mitigation actions” in response to service issues.

It was not clear if those were linked to the global outages.

Also read: Researchers sound alarm over metaverse’s potential to cause harm

“Our services are still seeing continuous improvements while we continue to take mitigation actions,” Microsoft said in a post on social media platform X.

The outage had earlier grounded flights in the United States, derailing television broadcasts in the UK and impacting telecommunications in Australia.

CrowdStrike could not immediately be reached for comment.

Major US air carriers including Delta, United and American Airlines grounded all flights on Friday over a communication issue, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Flights were suspended at Berlin Brandenburg airport in Germany due to a “technical problem”, a spokeswoman told press.

“There are delays to check-in, and flight operations had to be cancelled until 10:00 am (0800 GMT),” the spokeswoman said, adding that she

could not say when they would resume.

All airports in Spain were experiencing “disruptions” from an IT outage that hit several companies worldwide on Friday, the airport operator Aena said.

Hong Kong’s airport also said some airlines had been affected, with its authority issuing a statement in which it linked the disruption to a Microsoft outage.

The UK’s biggest rail operator meanwhile warned of possible train cancellations due to IT issues, while photos posted online showed large queues forming at Sydney Airport in Australia.

“Flights are currently arriving and departing however there may be some delays throughout the evening,” a Sydney Airport spokesman said.

“We have activated our contingency plans with our airline partners and deployed additional staff to our terminals to assist passengers.”

Australia’s National Cyber Security Coordinator said the “large-scale technical outage” was caused by an issue with a “third-party software platform”, adding there was no information as yet to suggest hacker involvement.

• Banks, airports hit –

Sky News in the UK said the glitch had ended its morning news broadcasts, while Australian broadcaster ABC similarly reported a major “outage”.

Some self-checkout terminals at one of Australia’s largest supermarket chains were rendered useless, displaying blue error messages.

New Zealand media said banks and computer systems inside the country’s parliament were reporting issues.

Australian telecommunications firm Telstra suggested the outages were caused by “global issues” plaguing software provided by Microsoft and cybersecurity company CrowdStrike.

• ‘Enormous’ –

University of Melbourne expert Toby Murray said there were indications the problem was linked to a security tool called Crowdstrike Falcon.

“CrowdStrike is a global cyber security and threat intelligence company,” Murray said.

“Falcon is what is known as an endpoint detection and response platform, which monitors the computers that it is installed on to detect intrusions (i.e. hacks) and respond to them.”

University of South Australia cybersecurity researcher Jill Slay said the global impact of the outages was likely to be “enormous”.

People concerned about their data have for years had to think carefully about matters such as social media app settings and internet browser cookies, as well as increasingly sophisticated email-based phishing scams.

But the addition of so-called artificial intelligence platforms and the metaverse could make these worries seem trivial, if a new report by Queen’s University Belfast is anything to go by.

In the wake of mounting research confirming the mental health harm of social media, the university’s researchers are now calling for investigations into the impact of the metaverse on society and how the companies behind these platforms operate.

“Privacy, data collection, especially of personal data and biometric data, and the harm online platforms can cause, are all issues of concern to the public,” the university’s team warned.

Proponents believe the metaverse will ultimately replace the current internet with a 3D space accessed by headset, offering virtual concerts, meeting rooms and collective gaming. Apple, Microsoft, Google and Meta are all investing heavily.

“[T]he next generation of internet technologies will be highly immersive, compelling and largely driven by AI,” said Jesus Martinez del Rincon, research director of security intelligence at the Belfast university’s Centre for Secure Information Technologies.

However researchers say their focus groups showed many of the online harms experienced in current internet and social media environments will transfer to the metaverse and proliferate there.

The metaverse remains at least a decade away due to the massive amount of data it would require, which in turn would entail a vast increase in internet availability, bandwidth and speed – and matching investments in not only electricity-hungry data processing hubs but the power-generation needed to keep it all ticking over.

And the blend of AI and the virtual 3D-style internet worlds promised – if the metaverse ever gets going – will, del Rincon believes, “make it very difficult for us to discern between what is real and what is imaginary within these virtual worlds.”

Digital telecommunications services provider, Globacom, has announced the availability of the latest iPhone 15 models for purchase in its Gloworld shops nationwide. Those who purchase these choice devices in Gloworld shops stand to reap huge benefits from Globacom.

The company announced in a statement in Lagos that customers who buy any model of iPhone 15 from any Gloworld store will receive a 6-month data incentive of 18GB. This deal, the statement added, is available to Glo subscribers alone.

Said Globacom: “We are excited to offer the much-coveted iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, made with a gorgeous new durable aluminum and color-infused back glass design with the Dynamic Island, a 48MP Main camera with 2x Telephoto option, as well as A16 Bionic chip, and USB-C in Gloworld outlets across Nigeria.”

“Also on offer are the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple’s lightest Pro models ever, featuring a strong and lightweight titanium design with powerful camera upgrades including a more advanced 48MP Main camera system, A17 Pro chip for next-level gaming and pro performance, a new Action button, and USB-C with USB 3 speeds”, the statement added.

In addition, there is Apple Watch Series 9 model which comes with several exciting features to thrill users. They include an all-new S9 SiP, a magical new double tap gesture, a brighter display, faster on-device Siri and Precision Finding for iPhone. Globacom also revealed that customers can also choose a carbon neutral option of any Apple Watch, the first time such is happening.

Also available is the Apple Watch Ultra 2, which Globacom said which has all the capabilities that fans of Ultra adore. This is in addition to the powerful new S9 SiP, a magical new double tap gesture, which is Apple’s brightest display ever. It also has enhanced features for outdoor and aquatic activities, an extended altitude range, on-device Siri, and Precision Finding for iPhone.

The new 2nd generation AirPods Pro with USB-C charging capabilities and additional dust resistance are also available for purchase at Gloworld shops.