Australian companies have also been affected. A technical failure has also paralysed Berlin’s international airport, while the UK’s main rail operator has suffered computer malfunctions

On Friday 19 July, Australian businesses were hit by a ‘large-scale technical failure’, according to the country’s highest cyber security authority. The ABC television channel reported being affected by a ‘major’ outage. Similar technical problems were reported in Japan, as reported by the daily Asahi on X.

Berlin International Airport was also paralysed on Friday by a technical failure, and Britain’s largest rail operator suffered computer malfunctions.

‘Our current information indicates that this outage is related to a technical issue with a third-party software platform used by the affected businesses,’ the office of Australia’s national cybersecurity coordinator said in a statement. Microsoft said it was taking ‘mitigating actions’ to remedy the situation. According to our sources, French companies have also been affected.