McDonald’s says global outage was caused by a third party
McDonald’s has disclosed that the technical issues leading to a significant halt in its fast-food operations on Friday were attributed to a third-party provider. The international chain clarified that the global outage occurred due to a “configuration change,” resulting in the inability of stores to process orders in key locations like the UK, Australia, and Japan, among others.
Downdetector, a system utilized for monitoring IT problems in businesses, observed a significant increase in reported issues concerning the McDonald’s UK app starting around 05:00 GMT on Friday.
Notably, McDonald’s emphasized that the disruption was not the result of a cyber attack. While UK and Australia outlets have resumed operations following system freezes, Japanese stores are also reportedly reopening after temporary closures.
According to McDonald’s Chief Information Officer Brian Rice, the company swiftly identified and rectified the “global technology system outage.” He underscored that the issue stemmed from a third-party provider’s actions during a configuration adjustment, not from a cybersecurity incident.
Rice assured that the majority of countries have returned to normal operations, with the rest in the process of being restored. He highlighted the exceptional nature of the incident and pledged to address it with utmost urgency.
Duncan is a technology professional with over 20 years experience of working in various IT roles. He has a interest in cyber security, and has a wide range of other skills in radio, electronics and telecommunications.