When 8.5 million Windows devices suddenly display the “Blue Screen of Death,” that’s a rough day for business. This outage included some major league players including airlines, banks and hospitals. Panic quickly settles in — “We are under a (cyber)attack!”. Fortunately, this wasn’t the reason behind the CrowdStrike outage in July. But, the real reason is alarming and something every business owner should be concerned about.
So, What Happened?
On July 19, 2024, millions of Windows devices suddenly crashed – displaying the “Blue Screen of Death” (or the frozen start-up screen), triggering an endless reboot cycle. With it, massive global disruption was caused. Airlines grounded flights, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. Electronic health record software was offline, forcing providers to cancel appointments. Several major banks also went offline, leaving customers with zero account access. This CrowdStrike outage is now labeled the largest IT outage in history — sounds like “Y2K” fears, doesn’t it?
If It Wasn’t A Cyber-Attack, What Caused It?
The source of the outage was not a cyber-attack, but instead, was a botched software update from CrowdStrike, a leading cybersecurity company. The team behind their endpoint detection and response (EDR) platform, Falcon, configured what should have been a routine sensor update. This update, specifically for Microsoft Windows, unknowingly had a flaw. Due to its tight integration with Windows OS, a widespread system crash resulted when the update was pushed.
How could a multibillion-dollar organization release an update with such a flaw? Representatives for the company later explained that it was due to a “gap” in their testing software. The issue stemmed from a flaw in the content validator tool, which didn’t detect the problem and led engineers to believe everything was ready for release. As a result, the update forced Windows systems to enter an endless reboot cycle, displaying the infamous “Blue Screen of Death” (dun, dun, dunnnnn). CrowdStrike immediately began working to fix the issue, but the damage was done. Reports from insurers now estimate the outage will cost US Fortune 500 companies upward of $5.4 billion.
Why Should This Concern You?
This outage reinforces how integrated technology is in our lives and underscores the significant impact a single software flaw can have on global IT infrastructure. When it comes to your company’s technology management, there is no substitute for having:
- A reliable, knowledgeable IT professional manage your network. Accidents happen even in large organizations, but you can reduce your odds of being caught up in an issue like this by working with an experienced IT team. Their expertise and knowledge in updates, backups and constant awareness keep your operations running smoothly. They also help to prevent minor hiccups from escalating into full-blown disasters.
- A robust disaster recovery plan. Mistakes happen. Prepare yourself to take action quickly so you can continue doing business and mitigate damage quickly. Many organizations affected by this outage had to pause business (including major chain stores) because they had no action plan for a disaster like this. Don’t be caught without plan B if something like this happens in your organization.
Don’t wait until you’re hit with a crisis to take action.
Prepare your business by partnering with an experienced IT team. Your company’s security and continuity depend on it. Fortifi Cyber Security can help your organization protect itself against cyber threats with world-class, highly-affordable security services including disaster planning and security consulting. Call Fortifi today at 888-500-9111 or sign up for a free vulnerability test.
Our sibling company, Atlantic Technology Services, is offering a FREE, no-obligation Network Assessment. Their team of experts will evaluate your current systems, identify potential vulnerabilities and develop a comprehensive plan to safeguard your business against future outages. Call at 410-860-9899 to schedule a consultation with Atlantic Technology Services to see how Managed Services can help your business. To book a consultation, click here.
