A faulty software update brought technology-dependent industries throughout the world to their knees on Friday, and the Fresno area was no exception.

The malfunctioning update issued by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike affected customers running Microsoft Windows. CrowdStrike apologized and said a fix was on the way.

Early risers in Fresno and surrounding communities learned right away about the problems as KMPH FOX26 was off the air before restoring service at 8:30 a.m.

Meanwhile, the outage caused 12 flight cancellations at Fresno Yosemite International Airport and 12 flight delays, said airport spokeswoman Vikkie Calderon.

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“Most airlines are working to resume normal operations, and airlines are working diligently to minimize disruptions,” Calderon told GV Wire in an 11:19 a.m. email.

Outage Hits County of Fresno Offices Hard

The technology miscue knocked out 400 County of Fresno government servers and affected at least 3,500 work laptops or work-station computers.

“The County is prioritizing the updating and re-booting of systems in mission-critical areas involving emergency services, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and jails, the Juvenile
Justice Center, Hall of Records, and Child Welfare Services, among others,” said Fresno County Communications Director Sonja Dosti.

“Because of the time required to bring computers and systems back online, several of the County’s departments will not be able to respond to the public in a timely manner.
Furthermore, many of the County’s information is dependent on the State’s systems, which are also down and undergoing updates.”

Dosti added that the county’s IT staff began working to fix the problems at 1 a.m. Friday.

Thankfully, Fresno State has been minimally affected by the recent CrowdStrike update.

If campus members experience IT issues related to this incident, contact the Tech Services team for help. The Service Desk is also available for in-person help in the USU (downstairs).

— Fresno State (@Fresno_State) July 19, 2024

‘No Impact’ to Patient Safety at Saint Agnes

Meanwhile, Saint Agnes Medical Center largely escapes the shutdown.

“Only a small percentage of our servers were affected. The majority of the technical issues have been remediated, and there has been no impact to patient safety,” said Saint Agnes Communications Director Casey Fares.

‘Minimal Impact” at Community Health

“Along with so many others, Community Health System is experiencing some issues with the widespread global tech disruptions. It has not impacted our ability to provide patient care in our hospitals, and has had minimal impact to our outpatient centers and clinics,” said Eric Saff, the organization’s senior VP and chief information officer.

“Our IT teams have been working diligently to alleviate remaining technology issues and, so far, we are seeing positive results.”