Last Friday, a global IT issue caused chaos at airports, train stations, hospitals, and other major transportation and critical infrastructure hubs worldwide. This widespread disruption was due to a bug in the protective software from Crowdstrike, causing Windows computers to crash with the infamous Blue Screen of Death.
What Caused the Bug?
The affected systems were Windows-based devices using Crowdstrike’s Falcon protection software. Falcon is a robust security platform deeply integrated into the Windows OS, allowing it to modify Windows kernel processes. A logic flaw in a new Falcon software update triggered the crashes, leading to Windows displaying the Blue Screen of Death.
Microsoft estimates that approximately 8.5 million Windows devices were impacted by this faulty Crowdstrike Falcon update. Critical industries such as airlines, public transit, healthcare, financial services, and multimedia experienced significant disruptions.
Recovering From the Outage
Crowdstrike swiftly identified and deployed a fix for the issue within about an hour of its discovery. However, the recovery process for affected businesses is expected to be time-consuming. The primary challenge is that once systems running Falcon updated to the faulty version, Windows would crash, making automatic fixes impossible.
IT administrators had to manually reboot affected systems into Safe Mode, delete the faulty update files, and then reboot to restore normal operations. It could take months for some organizations to fully recover all their devices.
How to Prepare for Outages Like This
In a world where technology is integral to operations, a small bug can cripple entire industries. Preparing for inevitable outages is crucial for any serious business.
- Utilize Local and Off-Site Cloud Backups: Ensure that in the event of workstation or server inaccessibility, your data remains recoverable.
- Test Base Environments Before Installing Updates: Prevent problematic updates from affecting your systems by testing them first.
- Implement Update Rings: Manage the flow of updates to catch potential issues early.
- Disaster Recovery and Continuity Plans: Ensure business operations can continue despite system-wide outages or disasters. Cloud backups allow access to files and systems even if office workstations are unavailable.
- Partner with Managed IT Services: Collaborate with a provider like Natural Networks to stay ahead of IT issues and protect your infrastructure.
If you want to learn more about how Chicago Computer Network can safeguard your critical business technology, give us a call today!
Free Security Risk Assessment
We’re offering a FREE Security Risk Assessment that will achieve two important goals:
Network Vulnerability Analysis: We’ll identify and patch vulnerabilities in your network to prevent future attacks.
Continuity and Recovery Planning: We’ll help you develop a robust continuity and recovery plan tailored to your organization.
To get started, call our office at (312) 767-1250 or fill in below to book your FREE Security Risk Assessment now.