**Microsoft Outage Disrupts Global Services**

Big Tech giant Microsoft is grappling with a widespread outage of its Windows systems, disrupting critical services worldwide. The failure, which began late on July 18, has impacted emergency services, banks, airports, and broadcasters. According to Forbes, the issue is linked to CrowdStrike's cybersecurity software.

Microsoft 365 Status acknowledged the problem on X, stating it was investigating issues affecting users' access to various apps and services. By 7:55 am UTC, Microsoft reported improvements but continued troubleshooting.

The banking sector has been hit particularly hard, with customers globally facing login and transaction issues. Downdetector has shown a spike in reports of disrupted banking services, with major banks in the UK, US, Australia, and India affected.

This is a developing story; stay tuned for updates.