How Cybersecurity Outage Affects Metro Atlanta

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A widely used cybersecurity company suffered a massive global outage Friday morning, impacting multiple government departments, hospitals, businesses and more in the Atlanta metro area.

According to CrowdStrike, the issue was triggered by a faulty update and is affecting computers running Microsoft Windows. Businesses, banks, government agencies, and others around the world have reported service impacts, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded several major airlines.

In a statement, Microsoft said that some Microsoft 365 apps and services have been restored, although issues persist.

“We continue to see increased functionality and availability for the remaining impacted scenarios and are monitoring this closely to ensure we are progressing toward a full recovery,” the company wrote. “Microsoft continues to treat this event with the highest possible priority.”

MORE COVERAGE: Widespread technology outage disrupts flights, banks, media and businesses worldwide

Here is a list of notable institutions in Georgia and the Atlanta metro area affected by the outage:

Transportation

MARTA

MARTA said its website was down, making real-time service information unavailable. Its Breezecard website is also experiencing issues. However, the transit system’s bus, train and light rail services continue to operate.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Hundreds of flights have been delayed or canceled at the world’s busiest airport, although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted its previous grounding for Delta Airlines and United Airlines.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport saw more than 600 flight cancellations and at least 874 delays on Friday, according to Flightware.com.

Delta Airlines has created a dedicated webpage to address the outage and is already offering future booking options, as is United.

MORE COVERAGE: Global computer outage affects flights at Atlanta airport

Health systems

Wellstar Health System

Wellstar’s systems were affected and are in the process of coming back online. The healthcare giant said patients who have a procedure scheduled for Friday should contact their facility.

Emory Health Care

Emory said all of its hospitals and clinics are open, but the outage has caused some disruptions. All procedures at its ambulatory surgery centers and hospitals have been delayed until systems are stabilized, and patients must use MyChart to manage their appointments.

Grady Memorial Hospital

Grady said there were some “minor interruptions” overnight, but the outage did not have a significant impact.

Local and state government services

Fulton County

The Fulton County Tax Commissioner’s Office is currently unable to process motor vehicle license plates following the outage. Property tax payments and online property searches on the website have also been affected, the office said.

Meanwhile, the Fulton County Board of Health said it is unable to process e-WIC applications. WIC recipients should visit the board’s website or call 770-515-9942 for updates.

DeKalb County

DeKalb County government officials said its permit system, court systems and utility bill payment system were down, but service has since been restored.

The county tax commissioner’s office also said phone, internet and in-person services are delayed.

Georgia Department of Driver Services

DDS said its services are currently unavailable. Customers cannot view their license status, access their driving report history, pay fees and more.

Some Georgia residents hoping to go shopping on Friday encountered a few roadblocks.

Georgia Revenue Department

The GDR declared that its Georgia Tax Center and DRIVES apps are down. DRIVES online services handle tag renewals, title status changes, vehicle registrations, insurance fines and other issues.

“We encourage our customers to check back later,” the department wrote.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

The RDA said it was currently unable to process licenses, reservations or registrations.

This is a developing story. Check back with Atlanta News First for more.