Editorial | Global IT outage hits home with warning against complacency
- As millions face ‘blue screen of death’ with airlines, hospitals and banks among those affected, the need for backups and to not rely on only one provider is all too clear
The use of computers and the benefits they bring to almost every aspect of our daily lives is often taken for granted in this digital era – until disaster strikes. Last week’s global IT outage, possibly the most serious ever, is a timely warning of the risks inherent in overreliance on technology, especially if dependent on a single provider.
A corrupted software update made by Texas-based cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike disabled 8.5 million Windows devices globally. Frustrated computer users were confronted with a dreaded error message known as the “blue screen of death”. But the outage caused much wider disruption. Thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed, including at Hong Kong International Airport. Long queues formed as check-in staff resorted to old-fashioned, time-consuming manual procedures. Some passengers were stranded overseas.
Among services affected globally were those involving healthcare and banking. Some retail outlets were unable to accept digital payments. The financial cost has been estimated to top US$1 billion. CrowdStrike quickly developed a fix for the problem, but the impact was still being felt days later. A full recovery is expected to take weeks.
The crisis highlighted the extent to which critical infrastructure and supply chains around the world depend on the software of a small number of cybersecurity companies. Founded in 2011, CrowdStrike is a leader in the field, providing defences against increasingly prevalent and sophisticated hacking attacks.
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Airports across the world see operations disrupted as Microsoft systems outage hits globally
Keeping ahead of the hackers requires frequent software updates. Clearly, there is a need for thorough checks and strict quality control before such updates are made. The outage shows the danger of relying on a single cloud computing provider. Companies are well advised to use multiple systems and have backup options, to avoid being paralysed by a software problem. Care should be taken to keep important material offline, rather than rely solely on the cloud.
