In an unprecedented event, a defective software update from cyber security giant CrowdStrike has caused a massive IT outage, impacting businesses globally, including in Australia. This incident, although not a cyber attack, has resulted in widespread disruption across multiple sectors, from airlines to financial institutions.
What Happened?
The chaos began when CrowdStrike released a software update for its Falcon Sensor on July 19, 2024. This update inadvertently triggered the notorious Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) on Windows systems, causing millions of computers to crash and rendering them inoperable. The issue has affected businesses worldwide, with Australian companies not spared from the fallout. Key sectors like aviation, banking, and broadcasting experienced significant disruptions, highlighting the critical nature of robust IT management and rapid response protocols.
CrowdStrike's Response
CrowdStrike has been working diligently to reverse the changes that caused the outage. They have issued detailed recovery steps and are closely monitoring the situation to prevent any further instability. The company has also implemented additional checks to safeguard their services from potential ripple effects and to maintain service stability and security.
Our Recommendations
1. Stay Vigilant: While this disruption is not a result of a cyber attack, it’s essential to remain vigilant. Cybercriminals may exploit the current situation to launch phishing attacks or other malicious activities. Ensure your team is aware and on high alert for any suspicious activities.
2. Review Recovery Guidelines: Visit the CrowdStrike remediation and guidance hub for the Preliminary Post Incident Review (PIR) to understand the steps necessary to mitigate any impact on your systems.
3. Implement Additional Security Measures: Strengthen your IT infrastructure by incorporating additional security layers and ensuring regular backups are in place to avoid future disruptions.
Current Status and Recovery
As of now, CrowdStrike has managed to reverse the changes that led to this issue, and systems are gradually returning to normal. Businesses are advised to follow the prescribed recovery steps carefully, especially those involving system reboots in safe mode and updating system configurations.
This incident underscores the importance of having a comprehensive IT incident response plan. For Australian business leaders, this is a stark reminder to continuously evaluate and strengthen IT management strategies. Ensuring that your business is prepared for such disruptions can mitigate losses and maintain operational continuity.
By taking these lessons to heart and implementing robust strategies, Australian businesses can navigate and overcome such challenges more effectively in the future.
How Diamond IT can support your systems
We want to assure our customers that our services remain unaffected by this outage. Given the complexity of IT networks, we continue to vigilantly monitor for any indirect impacts and have strengthened our system checks to ensure stability.
Do you need help keeping your business secure or developing a robust technology incident response plan? The Diamond IT team specialises in reviewing technology strategies to ensure they are fit-for-purpose, align with your business objectives and include the necessary defences required to best protect your business from cyber threats.
Our Business Technology Managers (BTMs) and Business Technology Consulting tea are ready to speak with you. Contact our team on 1300 307 907 today.
