The Facts

• A glitch with Microsoft Windows on Friday reportedly hit global businesses and institutions, disrupting critical services — including airlines, banks, and stock exchanges — across the world.

• The massive IT outage canceled at least 500 US flights, affected operations at London's Stock Exchange, grounded Sky News, and impacted Europe's medical facilities.The massive Information Technology (IT) outage canceled over 500 US flights, affected operations at London's Stock Exchange, knocked Sky News off the air, and impacted Europe's medical facilities.

• Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said that the outage had been caused by "a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts," adding it was neither a security incident nor a cyberattack.