IT systems across the globe have been thrown into chaos following a major worldwide network outage.

Cyber security firm Crowdstrike has identified an issue with “content deployment” and is frantically trying to develop a work around for affected users.

The network issue is understood to be affecting Windows PCs and has disrupted operations at several large corporations in the UK, including Sky News, Thameslink and The London Stock Exchange.

Airlines look to be anticipating widespread disruption to air travel with departure boards frozen and flights grounded at airports internationally.

Other transport routes across the UK rail network are also expected to suffer delays and cancellations.

Earlier this morning a mass of IT outages were reported worldwide, issues which have since been connected to cyber security firm CrowdStrike.

The company has previously been involved in several high-profile cyber attacks, however the cause behind the most recent wave of network disruption has not been identified.

It is believed the outage started on Thursday evening with further reports overnight indicating a clearer pattern of widespread network outages.

The disruption is known to be affecting Windows operating systems and Microsoft has confirmed it is taking “mitigation actions” over service issues.

Businesses, transport hubs and media companies across the global are reporting network issues.

In the UK, train companies including Southern Rail, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Great Northern have warned passengers to expect disruption due to IT problems.

Reuters has reported boarding scanners are down in Edinburgh Airport and several airlines internationally have reported expected delays to travel. Across other UK airports, many passengers are awaiting updates on their flights as screens within terminals have not been updated including Luton and Gatwick.

Sky News was taken off air in the UK after the group’s executive chairman confirmed the channel had “not been able to broadcast live TV”. There are also reports of GP practices having problems with their booking systems.

The London Stock Exchange’s regulatory news service is experiencing network outages which a statement attributed to “a third party global technical issue, preventing news from being published”.

Elsewhere, some retailers, including popular coffee chain Gails, are experiencing issues across tills and self checkouts, meaning card payments are unavailable in some stores.

Globally, some emergency lines are down in the US with 911 call centres in Alaska out of operation. 

The cause of the global network meltdown is not yet known, but Microsoft has said it is continuing to deal with the “lingering impact” of the outage.

Current reports have suggested a Crowdstrike, a California-based firm worth £65bn, antivirus software update could have sparked the issue impacting Windows devices across the globe.

It remains possible the network issues may be simultaneous two simultaneous problems rather than a single connected issue, however a separate Windows outage would likely be far more widespread than is currently being reported.

The company “secures the most critical areas of risk” – such as endpoints and cloud workloads, identity, and data “to keep customers ahead of today’s adversaries and stop breaches.