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Journalism of Courage
Microsoft-Crowdstrike Outage: This Friday, a global tech hiccup threw the world into chaos, hitting office work, airports and industries of all shapes and sizes. Wondering how? It all traces back to Microsoft Azure and a sneaky software update from CrowdStrike that decided to stir things up. Perhaps, one of the most noticeable aspects of the outage was the blue screen of death or BSOD – a critical error screen on Microsoft Windows indicating a system crash. Thankfully, CrowdStrike didn’t sit back and swiftly fixed the issue.
No. Unless you are using CrowdStrike’s services, you are in the clear. The chaos primarily hit systems running Windows with CrowdStrike software. So if that’s not you, go ahead and breathe easy.
Cloud-based services keep our planes on time and our airports running smoothly. When these services went down, it was as if someone pulled the plug on their operations.
The exact security software configurations at these airports are not publicly disclosed for security reasons. However, the widespread disruptions suggest reliance on cloud-based services, potentially including those affected by the CrowdStrike and Azure issues.
CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity company that provides endpoint protection and threat intelligence. It’s crucial for businesses that prioritises cybersecurity. However, if you don’t currently use it, explore alternatives like Watchguard, Norton, McAfee, or Sophos for your security needs.
Microsoft 365 and Azure services were impacted, but not all users felt the heat. If your Outlook.com account and Microsoft Office remained functional, you’re in a good spot. These services have multiple redundancies and should remain reliable. However, always have a backup plan.
Yes, similar incidents have happened. For example, in 2010, a defective McAfee update caused a worldwide meltdown of XP PCs. The update mistakenly identified a critical Windows system file as a threat, leading to widespread system crashes and operational disruptions. This incident highlighted the importance of rigorous testing and backup strategies to mitigate risks from software updates.
📌Stay Updated: Always update your software to the latest version to prevent vulnerabilities.
📌Backup Everything: Ensure you have reliable backups to avoid data loss during such incidents.
📌Be Informed: Keep up with the latest advisories from your service providers.
