A major computer outage caused delays for Missourians seeking to renew driver licenses and access food benefits on Friday, with thousands of state government employees facing computing issues. The disruption was caused by a defect in a late-night update for Windows, resulting in offices across the state closing their doors or experiencing varying levels of disruption.
Cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike experienced the major disruption, affecting businesses worldwide. License offices and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, specifically the WIC program, were impacted. In Illinois, motorists were urged to call their local office to determine if services were still operating.
IT workers were working diligently to bring systems back online, with staff having to manually remote into each device to deploy a fix. The Secretary of State’s office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Capitol police were not affected by the bug. St. Louis hospitals and Lambert airport also faced issues due to the global IT outage.
As the state works to resolve the computer issues, Missourians are encouraged to check with their local offices for updates on availability of services. The impact of the outage serves as a reminder of the reliance on technology in everyday operations and the importance of cybersecurity measures to prevent future disruptions.
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Photo credit www.webstercountycitizen.com
